Love and Hope
by Sensou to Heiwa
Summary: Yumiko is a troubled child living in Sunagakure, who befriends the youngest child of the Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara. Yumiko also has to revive her lost clans' attributes. Slight GaaraXOC. Please enjoy and review.
1. My Past

**Part 1**

**The Past**

They haunted her, those eyes of the small boy. They frightened her, because she knew that she would never save him from the monster that was within, no matter how hard she tried…

Sunagakure's walls surrounded the six year old; small, weak, yet smart. But her intelligence did nothing to stop her brother of thirteen, Daitaro, from target practice. Her adoptive parents permitted this, because they hated her also; treating her like a useless dog. Therefore she was not allowed to attend school-too good for her, they said. But working at her young age was not. The ramen shop under her apartment was convenient and brought in another source of income for her parents. But her brains triumphed, as she secretly paid for martial arts lessons.

But the six year old was too weak, and her sensei made it apparent. The brute told her that she was never going to accomplish anything. And she believed it-while losing hope in everything else. At only six her hatred grew until her parents were even frightened to attack her. She would sit at the playground, swaying back and forth in a swing-her swing-while remembering those harsh words from her sensei. Even when she tried, the young girl knew that she would never find the hope that she once had.

One day, though, her life would turn. It was cold, well as cold as the desert could be in the day time, and dim as she made her way to the playground. As her legs carried her forward, an upsetting sight reached her. A boy was sitting in her swing. Why wasn't he out playing with the other children and that stupid ball? The unnatural sternness of the young child made his head snap up as if coming out of a dream.

"Who are you?" the six year-old asked, crossing her arms.

"M-My name is G-Gaara," his stutter did not change the effect of his words.

She was shocked that the Kazekage's son was here. Why would he be out and about when everyone feared him because of the one tail? The six year old was half expecting to see them inside of his pale green and blank eyes. But there was nothing, just the eyes of a normal young boy. He was like her, she presumed; no one cared for her, just as she heard that his family feared him. Oddly, at this time, Gaara appeared happy with a smile spread across his face. It was probably because she was the first to speak to him without running away with tears and cries for help.

"W-what's your name?" Gaara asked suddenly with his eyes piercing her skull.

"…Yumiko, my name is Yumiko," and she grinned tightly, not only because she felt sorry for him, but because Yumiko finally found someone like herself.

"Would you like to play?"

"Y-yes, I would," he stuttered again, causing Yumiko to smile for the first time she could ever remember.

And after that day, Yumiko was calmer. Gaara was someone that she could confide in and vise versa, of course. The two six year olds exchanged life stories, but Gaara's were the most difficult to listen to. With the only one to care for him an uncle, Yashamaru, Yumiko was a little jealous. But that went away when Gaara took her to meet him one day. His idea that he would care for Yumiko the same way, was completely and utterly wrong. Yashamaru stared at the young girl and Yumiko could see the darkness that she expected to see when she first looked into Gaara's eyes. She was wary, and scared for her new friend.

The very next day Gaara appeared in the ramen shop and Yumiko asked to leave. It was only ten minutes until her shift was over and the elderly man she worked for would be kind enough to let her depart. He was a friend, and treated her like any other sweet little six year-old. The two children ran out the door and towards their swing set, making it a race; and as usual, Gaara won. Yumiko would have cherished the moment more if she had known that this was the last time Gaara would be seen happy.

The two were up and about at midnight, given that Gaara couldn't sleep Yumiko was more than happy to keep him company most nights. Both dangled their legs off of the roof as they looked over Sunagakure. The moon was full and bright and the windy air was colder than usual. Yumiko was about to ask Gaara a question, one that she couldn't even remember if asked, when the shadowy figure attacked.

While Gaara's sand protected the both of them; Yumiko was far too stunned to react to what was going on around her. She barely registered the fact that sand had wrapped around the figure in a vice grip. Now, of all people in this world, she was timid around Gaara. The blood trickling to the ground made her nauseous and shaky… until she heard the loud thud when the attacker was dropped. Gaara, who seemed as unstable as she at the moment, lifted the mask to see the most confusing and depressing sight both of them had seen; Yashamaru. Her only thought was to hug him, but Gaara was paralyzed from confusion and despair.

"This is it. Please die," he said while lifting one side of his vest to reveal paper bombs.

The shell of sand appeared again, and Yumiko was oddly surprised that there was no pain from the fire. Then she remembered that Gaara was beside her, but after a look into her eyes, she wasn't so sure it was Gaara anymore. Yumiko was pushed back by the sand as it swerved around the red headed boy, rolling on the rooftop until the edge stopped her path. When it was over, the blood-curdling screams halted and Yumiko squinted to read the symbol on her friend's forehead. Gaara was officially broken… beyond repair. And Yumiko knew that while they were both hurt, she could no longer compare to him. But she could try, in the most dismal way possible.

"Hope," she strangled out while turning to the side, after gathering herself from the ground.

Gaara was clueless as to what she meant, so she explained.

"Hope, so we'll remember what 'true'," she stated disgusted and weakly, "people don't have."

Yumiko felt no pain as grains pierced her skin, because she knew that from now on, both of them would have something they truly needed-for the rest of their lives-_and_ she gritted her teeth so Gaara wouldn't fear to continue. The days that followed were difficult; Gaara's shut down, plus the killing and pain he let Shukaku demonstrate-willingly-caused Yumiko to feel hurt and frightened. She couldn't help him, even if she attempted. Those were the eyes that still haunt her. Gaara was the boy whose monster she couldn't defeat. And as the distance between them grew, she could feel herself slipping back into hopelessness. This _Gaara_ no longer knew himself and refused to do so. One day, with both children setting upon the roof of an old building, and the eerie silence and tense aura engulfing her was too much. Yumiko could no longer handle the silent nods and dead stares into the desert.

"I know you're hurt, but that doesn't mean you should give in to the monster. Fight it," and then she stormed off, determined to forget about this monster that had taken her only friend.

While it was the last place she wished to be, Yumiko ran home and stared out her window. The view was impaired by the wall of another building, but she'd rather look there than the desert that she had spent countless nights memorizing with Gaara. Hours later, as she had just started to drift to sleep when her window opened and clanged loudly against the wall, shaking her from the tattered sheets. Yumiko backed into a corner, clutching a pillow that was falling apart and dingy, frightened of the figure that stepped inside. The young girl was beginning to plead for her life but was hushed by gentle, calloused, large hands on her thin shoulders.

"W-who are y-y-you?" Yumiko's voice quivered as she fought to calm her frazzled nerves.

"My name is Daiki Hokkaido. Stop sniffling, there's no need to be scared," his kind words were offset by his deep voice as he chuckled at her state.

"What d-do you want?"

"To tell you what you're capable of," this, of course, confused the hell out of her.

She knew exactly what she was capable of; nothing. Yumiko Kyoto (name given by the adoption agency-not adoptive parents' name) was abandoned at birth and taken in by two moronic people and a jackass of a brother. That was it, and that was the problem. She had no _future_, no _strength_, and -now-no _friends_.

"You, Yumiko, are capable of much more than what you think you are. Your hidden talent is something that took years to develop. Everyone in the clan would be happy that you're alive."

"Huh? I'm from a clan? And my parents abandoned me?"

"No, they didn't Yumiko! Seven years ago, I was a shinobi here in Suna. That's how I met your parents. They realized that they had a talent that not many people realized. They showed me that I had that power too. We left the village to find others like us and started our own village. But six years ago we were unprepared for the beast that attacked… Orochimaru. While I survived, your parents and other members of the village… were killed. Thanks to your father though, you were saved and I brought you here… Of course, I had no business taking care of a child. But now that I see you've landed into the wrong hands. So, Princess Yumiko, I am here to help you find your purpose."

Daiki explained it with such ease that she almost didn't believe him. But to Yumiko, it didn't matter if it was a lie; just that it was. Half of her wanted to accept his proposal, but the other thought better of it. To find more information if he was lying, she asked,

"What is our clan's ability, Daiki?"

"Our line of chakra can imitate any source we choose, any technique, at any time," he stated confidently, knowing that she had her mother's brains and appearance, but her father's curious personality.

"I can't even walk up a wall…" her voice droned out in embarrassment.

"Well I'm here to change that. Come on," he urged, with his hand outstretched and his leg out the window, ready to jump out into the unknown world.

"Where are we going?" she knew that taking his hand was a stupid idea, but she did it anyway.

"To our village, of course!" Daiki beamed; relieved the she trusted him-if only a little bit.

Yumiko knew that this was only the beginning. Of the worst experience of her life, or the best, she didn't know.


	2. The Seal

**Part 2**

**The Seal**

It took several days to get to the forest that Daiki had spoken of. The young girl was holding onto his back the entire trip, thrilled that she was able to feel the wind through the tops of the trees-an experience she had _never _imagined. With him being strong and young-about mid-thirties she would say-he had no problems carrying her. Neither said a word, not wanting to break the comfortable silence of the forest around them until,

"To obtain our clans' special ability I have to break your seal," Daiki said, still focusing on the course ahead of him.

"Seal, what seal?" the small child asked.

"Your father wanted to make sure that no evil would come from the clan. _So_ he placed a seal on every child. When he saw goodness in a child, he'd break the seal and that child could begin their training," Daiki explained, eyes locked on the trees before them.

The struggle in his voice said enough that it was difficult to speak of her parents. They were not only leaders, but his best friends. Before this week, she would have never known what it was like to lose a friend to something as horrible as death. Of course, her friend didn't die-physically-but emotionally and mentally was just as horrible. Yumiko had decided to keep quiet for the rest of the trip, feeling both excited to see the place of her birth, and sympathetic for her new friend and only true guardian-so he said.

The two leapt through the canopy, only accompanied by the sound of wind passing. An hour later, Yumiko noticed a clearing in the branches ahead and light poured between them. She felt the sun on her face, the chill of the wind, and an eerie silence. While the weather was pleasant, the atmosphere could not be any more distressed. This must have been where it happened. With the small child still perched on his back, Daiki continued through the clearing, eventually passing under a large stone structure, and then several others. Yumiko noticed that the ground was no longer green, but dark black and brown dirt. Stone from the remains of collapsed buildings were charred and ragged, strewn about the clearing haphazardly. Daiki appeared agitated from his surroundings, so the six year old remained quiet; that is until she noticed a bone protruding from the ground and squeaked into the older man's shoulder.

"Look here, Yumiko," Daiki kindly ordered while setting the girl on the ground.

The tombstone before her seemed to loom in the lonely dirt field. Unable to read the engraving, Yumiko took her light blue shirt sleeve and swiped in a downward motion to reveal the darkened text.

"**Here lies Toshio Kyoto and Haruko Kyoto, leaders of this village, parents, and loved friends."**

"These are your parents," Daiki stated, gloom overtaking his eyes and a smile never reaching them, while his hand rested on the six year olds shoulder.

It was kind of him, to refer to her parents in the present tense. But that part hit him like a brick. The young girl's words pulled him out of his memories of missions and village meetings and training.

"I wish I could have met them…"

The man coughed nervously, not knowing how to respond to such a statement. Minutes felt like hours, and eventually Daiki told Yumiko that her seal was to be broken. She nodded, still lost in the moment of seeing her parents' grave. The two walked where more ruins stood, some partially destroyed, others in better shape-but charred all the same. Being six, the young girl's mind wandered, thinking what could possibly be inside. Daiki steered her towards a partially standing building. The inside full of dirt and moss covered beams of what used to be the ceiling, damaged like the rest of the village. A partial doorway was left on the back wall, showing the darkened soil outside. When her new sensei-well, she supposed-mumbled something she couldn't understand in the midst of her gawking, Yumiko gave a puzzled look. Then the girl jumped as the ground began to shift, and the stone flooring crumbled next to Daiki, falling into a dark abyss-or at least until they clucked against stairs. Her sensei began his descent and motioned her to follow him into the dark abyss.

It was shifty, but it would seem idiotic to leave now after all of this time and travel. To the young girl, it felt like twenty flights of stairs before finally reaching a large chamber, if possible darker than the staircase. Columns of names crawled from the floor to the ceiling and Yumiko gazed in wonder at them circling and circling until she found the last entry, which was about six years ago as the date recalled.

"I'll remove your seal here, are you ready?" Daiki asked.

"Uhmm I-I don't know. Where is my seal? I don't have any weird m-markings or anything…"

"Your father had to place the seals on the hearts of the village children," he poked her in the nose, partially softening her worries, "Because our power is in the heart, so we conceal the power within."

As horrendously sappy as that was, every bit of it was true. Yumiko knew that she should question this more, in her head. But deep down, there was no doubting this. It was as if the girl was meant to do so, that she _did _have talent. At that moment, even if it was a lie, the feeling of belief was enough to make Yumiko happy enough to die in that moment. After taking a seat in the same area that many have before her, Yumiko felt her heart racing, and lungs fill with air more quickly than usual. She was trying not to let her imagination get the better of her; what would happen if she was free of the seal? Would she become stronger, faster? She stilled, afraid to move as Daiki pressed his palm on her back directly in the place of her heart.

"W-w-will it h-hurt?"

"When I have broken seals in the past, they usually only faint," the worst part was that he _grinned_.

"Was that supposed to help me? Because it really didn't," Yumiko's mature side shone through with a glare, but worry laced her words.

He asked again if she was ready, to which she replied with a nod. It was an odd feeling, like something inside of her shattered, pieces of whatever it was thrashing against her ribs and stealing her breath. As the hundreds before her did, she passed out…

She awoke to the sound of a fire crackling and smoke rising out of a vent above her. Her sensei's voice startled her as she rubbed her face.

"_Damn_, out for thirty-six hours."

She could have fainted again. Thirty-six? Yumiko had never even slept for eight! Gaara always… _Gaara_, her old 'family', her old life, her old _friend_. The continuing visions of her past started to give the girl a pounding headache. Yumiko was pulled back into reality as Daiki stated that he wished to start training the next week, wishing to rest himself and gather training materials. The young girl noticed nothing new about herself; she still felt like the same small and weak girl she was two days ago. But as the days went by, Yumiko felt more energetic, like there was always something to do, and that standing still would kill her-slowly but surely.

"It's finally kicking in I see," Daiki chuckled as the young girl came back into the tent one evening after running about in the forest.

"What is sensei?"

"The power! You took a little longer than usual, but I guess it takes different amounts of time for different people," Daiki mused, prodding the fire with a grin stretched across his features.

Yumiko grinned, now knowing she was finally able to feel the power of her ancestors. And in three days, the young girl would finally be able to train with her abilities…

Daiki had forced her to run. Miles and miles of running over hills and rivers and through the forest around camp. At first, she was worried-not completely sure if her newly obtained energy could be capable of such a thing. But, after the first few miles she realized that she had barely even broken a sweat. In the third mile of her run a few days after training started, Yumiko oddly began to feel homesick. The reason was unknown to her; because she had horrible parents and a dumbass brother who couldn't even spell "cat" correctly. But there where a few things that she did miss, such as her boss at the ramen shop. And Gaara… _right_? The old Gaara; at least. The new one that she left behind, that wasn't her friend; just someone who looked like him.

Her mind wandered, and Yumiko tripped; her foot having been caught under a root from a rather large tree next to her path. Her vision faded as her head hit the hardened soil. Daiki woke her later that day, after searching for her after she failed to check in.

"Are you alright? You hit your head pretty hard it seems."

"Ugh," she groaned, holding her head, "It feels like I was slammed in the face with a boulder."

"Of course it does! You should see that knot!"

She couldn't confess that she missed _him_. What would he think? Would it show weakness? It was obvious over the amount of running he made her do that he would not be going easy on her. The next morning, after many hours of tossing and turning and wondering what would come of these reoccurring flashbacks, Yumiko noticed Daiki placing targets all around the campsite. He did that all morning, and only asked her to run that day, nothing else. No weapons practice, no jutsu, nothing. That night, Yumiko was restless again, not because of the visions but because of the questionable training she would be participating in the next day.

"I'll find out soon enough," she murmured to herself worryingly.


	3. Training

**Part 3**

**Training**

That next morning, Yumiko forced herself to wake earlier than usual. Noticing Daiki was still asleep; she took it upon herself to go for her usual run. As her head poked out of the tent, the young girl saw nothing. The targets and straw figures that her teacher had set up the day before had vanished. Could she have gone insane? Sleep deprivation? Quite possibly, she presumed while taking one last glance around the campsite. Walking nervously towards the edge of the forest, she wondered what else had happened, or didn't happen, over the past few days. That was what her entire run consisted of, questioning her sanity. Some childhood she was having… Returning to camp, Yumiko saw Daiki had awoken and finally managed to make tea. He was so focused on that, that he didn't even look in her direction as he asked,

"Arrrre you readyy for your traininnnng today?"

"S-sure. But, um… where are the targets from yesterday?" Yumiko asked, searching around to see if they had been moved somewhere else, and she just overlooked them earlier.

Her sensei stood in an awkward fashion, looking around with raised eyebrows and a ridiculous twirl.

"I don't knoooooow. Wheeeere are t-theyy?" Daiki slurred.

The six year old was confused, and watched her teacher falter over his sentences. After a few more awkward movements from the man, Yumiko rolled her eyes. Of all the people to survive the incident with her clan, it had to be a drunk? Sneaking over to his discarded cup, the young girl took a sniff of the remaining liquid. To her surprise, it _was_ tea. Green tea…. So then why was her sensei stammering around like he had been drinking sake all morning?

Just as her head turned to take a look at her teacher, she noticed a blur soaring towards her face. Her reflexes took over just in time, and Yumiko gasped when the wind tickled her cheek. The thud drew her attention to the sharp object as it plowed into the ground behind her, and she stared at it with wide eyes.

"I-I-I d-dodged it…" Yumiko stuttered, still wide eyed from her encounter and a bit dizzy from adrenaline.

Daiki was now standing completely still, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Yeah, and _now_ you get to practice! Find the targets," he deadpanned, making his way towards the abandoned glass on the ground.

"What!?" Yumiko asked, now upset that she had to perform something that was almost impossible for her.

"Don't get so scared. It's really easy; all of the children in our clan could do it easily. You just have to focus on finding the targets. You've seen them right? So you know they're there. Just focus on them, _really_ focus!" he guided softly, making fist movements as another way to push her through the first challenge.

She assumed that Daiki was trying to calm her because it was obvious that she was nervous. After so many lessons of target practice with her brother and that instructor she paid for, her ego was completely crushed. But she listened to the man, not having a choice it would seem. Yumiko needed this, far more than anyone else realized. Her life had been filled with disappointment, and then happiness, and disappointment again, and bursts of depression scattered throughout. She remembered how her friend used to support her and show her that nothing was wrong with failing the first time…. Why was it that whenever she trained, _he_ would come back to her mind? Yumiko's eyes had been shut for a while now, and after recalling her happy times with the redhead, she breathed deeply. Not to relax, but in a way… to forget? Yumiko decided that enough was enough, and that if it was all worth it then it shouldn't matter if _he_ cared, or what _he_ thought. As her eyes cracked open, the young girl saw that she was surrounded by blue masses. As if they were on fire, the masses moved, swirling in different directions, but managing to keep form. _'Found them….' _She thought to herself, while pulling the knife from the ground; the same one that almost killed her earlier.

"Um… Daiki... This is embarrassing but, I don't know how to throw a kunai. Can you help me?" Yumiko asked, flushing pink while staring at the marks in front of her, frightened that if she blinked they would disappear.

"You'll make the mark, trust me. Just throw it," Daiki suggested shaking his head with a chuckle.

So she did. She didn't want to focus on what _could_ happen if she missed-injured herself, or Daiki. It would be easier if she just released it. The feel of the metal leaving her hand was relieving. Her burden was gone… for the moment. Yumiko's mind was screaming at her to look, just to peek and see if her weapon had embedded itself in a blue mass. But her body screamed to just run away. The young girl's legs were shaking and her palms were starting to sweat. Finally giving into her brain, the young girl opened one eye, and then the other to see the kunai in the center of a blue mass.

Yumiko had been at target practice all day long, hitting target after target. Daiki was proud of her, just her ability to push through her nerves. He was even contemplating to tell her that seeing those targets was actually a high Genin level ability; possibly early Chuunin. Daiki brushed it off though, not wanting to pull Yumiko out of her practice. She would learn about fire chakra types in a few months, but now she needed rest.

"The first thing that you have to know to perform fire chakra justus is..."

Yumiko unconsciously leaned forward; wanting to latch onto each and every word Daiki spoke, like a lifeboat as they were seated a few yards from the tent one morning. It had been two months since Yumiko began her official training and she felt more than ready to step into the next level.

"…harvesting your anger and placing it in your heart."

And her first thought was _'Is this man crazy?'_ The six year old was so confused that she could feel her head throbbing and her eyes slam shut from the sensation.

"It isn't as hard as you think. All you have to do is remember something that you know you will always hate," Daiki said, creepily smiling as he did so.

"I don't think that you should be happy about making me remember awful things," Yumiko stated, leaning farther away from him now.

"It isn't hard, just remember," Daiki said.

And damn it she did. Her eyes shut as she focused; thinking that she would remember her foster family, but received something _completely _different. _Gaara_… Eyes dark, mouth wide with a sinister grin, shoulders hunched… who was this? Surely not the Gaara she knew… that she used to know. This was what she hated most, loathed more than her foster parents, her bully brother; the monster that consumed him, consumed Gaara. The burning sensation through her veins and chest started her, making her eyes shoot open and she was surprised when no tears escaped her.

"You did it Yumiko. You did it!" Daiki slurred together.

Having no idea what he was talking about, Yumiko glanced around seeing that _everything_ was engulfed in flames…. Then realizing that _she_ was the only thing ablaze in the vicinity. While she was of course frightened out of her mind, her instincts screamed at her to calm down. A few minutes later, when she was back to her normal body temperature and not surrounded by fire, she returned to the tent; where Daiki set to work making more 'tea'. His glazed over expression and the fact that he looked in her direction but not _at her_, made her assume that he was drunk… _again_.

"I am beginning to wonder if all of that '_tea' _is affecting you in a bad way," she grimaced while taking a seat across from him.

"It is …_hiccup…_ not!" Daiki slurred as he tried to take another sip.

So drunk that he thought he had four arms and sake glasses, Daiki swayed back and forth. Yumiko smirked, feeling sorry for the man, but then again it was his own fault. The thought came to her to actually take away his cup, but she was too frightened that he would rip her arm off. She was never fond of drunks, remembering what Gaara had done to one when he crossed their path a certain evening many months ago. She began to hate him ever more then, accidentally causing fire to escape from her ears.

"Yumiko, our clan was so intelligent, that we could do a technique one time and repeat that same technique fifty years later. We grasp things so quickly because our minds are more advanced than others," Daiki said to her one night, amazingly not drunk.

'_Great, so now I'll probably have a HUGE head as I age…. -_-'_

"Good-night Yumiko, we'll practice water in a few months if you keep up the good work, alright?" Daiki yawned, resting his head on a pillow.

And three months later as Yumiko lay under the blanket, she wondered all night where they could possibly practice the water element, but thought better of it as sleep began to take her. The next morning, Yumiko awoke to an unusual sight; she was alone-Daiki missing from his blankets. He was not outside of the tent either, no fire was ablaze, and footprints led into the forest across the clearing. The young girl followed them about four miles, hearing a roaring in the distance. Pushing back the branches of several small trees and fists clenched in anticipation, Yumiko gazed at the light blue water tumbling downstream. She saw a figure next to the river, sitting on an old stump, worn by the elements and insects that lived at its base. Assuming it was her teacher, Yumiko bound up to him beginning to ask what he was doing so far away from camp.

As Yumiko approached, however, she could not sense Daiki's chakra-and immediately went on edge. As her feet inched her closer to the figure, the young girl heard a crack from above. Daiki had hidden himself well, and it was pure luck that he had made himself apparent by stepping on a loose branch. Yumiko noted that she still needed practice in chakra sensing and quickly made for her kunai pouch. Unfortunately it was too late, and Daiki was striking quickly from the trees-pouncing like a tiger desperate for his prey. Yumiko almost tripped over a hidden wire-no doubt a trigger for an elaborate trap that she also could not sense.

Yumiko latched herself onto his shoulders as he descended and flipped her body over his back-letting him land on top of the wire. Twenty shuriken jutted out of their hiding spots, all heading straight for Yumiko's sensei. Of course he easily deflected them with his own weapons, and turned towards his student with a pleased grin.

"I expected a little more Daiki," Yumiko spoke from a tree-noticing how confident she had grown while training with this man.

"You're getting better-but surely you noticed what you need to improve on," Daiki returned with a smirk, to which she rolled her eyes.

After a moment of Yumiko explaining what she needed work on, Daiki moved the dummy from the tree stump and took its place. And from his bag, he fished out another glass of _'tea'_ and tipped it back.

"I would prefer if you didn't get drunk before you teach me a new element."

Yumiko reached to take away his glass and set it on a boulder a few feet away. Daiki's eyes wandered to the cup and then back to his student.

"Acceptable terms, I suppose. Just listen to the river and let the water flow through your veins. _Feel_ the river-the movement," Daiki continued, turning his view back to his _'tea'_.

Yumiko wasn't sure if Daiki was taking this seriously, or simply attempting to distract her so that he could steal a sip of his sake. While she was more than confused about what he meant by his instructions, Yumiko took her place on the riverbank, crossing her legs and breathing in deeply. Bubbling and splashes reached her from the wildlife in the water below, and the sun beat down from the tops of the trees and onto her back. She suddenly felt cold, as if a harsh wind cut through her skin and entered deep into her bone structure. The girl's curiosity got the better of her and she cracked open her eyes to ask her sensei if it was normal to feel this. As her body turned around to glimpse at her teacher, she saw he was gone-from that spot at least. Craning her body around again, Yumiko watched as her sensei took a drink of his _'tea'_. The young girl's arm shot out to point an accusing finger towards Daiki, and was shocked as the cold, light blue, water rushed towards him. The water came crashing down to the point of almost drowning her sensei. Yumiko snapped her arm to her chest, grasping her wrist while rushing to try and save him. As Daiki sat up, Yumiko kneeled down asking if he was alright-to which he replied with a nod and then reached to his sake again.

"If you touch that glass again I will rip off your arm and throw it in the river," Yumiko growled and slapped her sensei's chest.

His arm returned to the ground quickly. The two pieced themselves together and traveled back to camp, where Daiki did not touch his _tea_ for the rest of the evening. Yumiko smiled that the accident shook the man a bit, but was also a little worried that she caused that uneasiness. She learned something that day; the young girl learned that she could be as forceful as the roaring river.

And months later, Yumiko was anxious to learn her next element. Deep down, she prayed that wind would be next; mainly because she didn't want to experience earth quite yet… or lightning for that matter. She awoke one morning, fully rested and energized, taking her seat next to Daiki as she did each morning before the campfire.

"Wind will be today," Daiki stated nonchalantly, taking a sip of tea-actual tea that morning.

His gaze shifted towards the sky and stayed a moment, as if examining odds of some sort. Daiki was contemplating if she was able to do this element. As Daiki had taught her, he noticed that her specialty was going to come soon. He had taught many children in the past, and of course each person was more confident in one element than the others-but capable of all. Daiki knew that her personality, stamina, even her stance, was meant for wind. But he was wondering if she could handle such a power. Both of her parents had excelled greatly in wind-and he was afraid that it would be far too strong for her.

Yumiko was waiting for Daiki's intense and wisdom filled instructions-which would probably sound something like _'Feel the wind'_ or _'be the air'_. But his next statement surprised her, it being so different from the other advice he had given in the past 7 months… _'Has it really been that long?'_

"There's a storm coming, so this should be a little difficult. But it will be easier for me to see how well you're doing… … Now, to use the wind chakra you have to remember something that you love the most. Wind users are very passionate people. It could be anything-game, memory, person," Daiki shrugged as he walked back towards the tent for a moment.

Yumiko began thinking, and wondered if it was even possible for her to have passion for anything after her past. Daiki returned and instructed her to take position in a field off to the side of camp, and stated that he will keep dry in the tent-he grinned goofily at that. She nodded absentminded, while returning to her memories. Any moments she would have been proud of were tainted by _that monster_. Not Gaara-_the monster;_ A separate being entirely, one that destroyed her happiness, hope, and anything else positive. Gaara… Yumiko had been alone in a large field for a few hours now; thinking of her past-remembering what used to be… and wishing she could have it back. She must have been insane-sitting in the pouring rain and seeing her old friend right before her eyes; just ten feet away; as harmless looking as the day the six year old first met him. Yumiko could feel her arm burn, a numbing pain she had pushed aside when receiving the scar on her arm. The real Gaara… For the first time in a long time, Yumiko cried-only a single tear though… for the one friend she had lost to the monster. She knew what she was so passionate about now. With her hands raised to the sky she pleaded,

"Please, _please_ work."

And it did, she felt the downpour shift; piercing her body from a new angle. Yumiko would have to remember to thank Gaara one day; he had made her realize what she was passionate about after all…Saving others. Hours later the young girl pushed back the tent flap and took a warm place next to her sensei before the fire, happy to be out of the cold numbing rain that stabbed at her face and arms while she worked the air around her. He handed her some fresh tea, and a blanket.

"You did well Yumiko, you did well," he congratulated; surprised that he had to stabilize the tent more sufficiently about a half an hour before she returned, but at the same time not very startled at the fact.

The following night was difficult for Yumiko. She was unsettled and depressed-tossing and turning through the dark, seeing flashes of dark eyes, yellow star-like pupils and a pair of giant clawed hands reaching out from the darkness. And as hard as the girl tried to run, it captured her-causing her to wake with a start, sweat soaked, and desperate for morning.

The humidity the following day did not help her attitude towards humanity-sleep deprivation tested her limits. It was normal training that day-well as normal as training was with Daiki. And a few weeks later, her sensei interrupted their breakfast with a statement that angered Yumiko inside-because he really did not have the right to do so.

"We'll have a break today, Yumiko. I need to rest," _'Pfft_… _rest. All you do is drink all day… Wait, -_-'_

Taking an entire day to drink his ass off sounded like him. She dismissed the problem, knowing he would pay for it tomorrow with a killer hangover. Yumiko decided to run on her own, knowing that it had been a while since she discovered new areas of her once peaceful village. Three miles upstream of the river she had practiced at, was a worn path. Dirt and gravel covered by leaves and overgrown roots took Yumiko two more miles west of her campsite. The edge of the cliff overseeing the remains of her village took her breath away, and not far away was a spring surrounded by cherry trees… picturesque. Yumiko followed the flow of the spring, down a waterfall and through a chain link fence Yumiko noticed scarred trees. Kunai laid forgotten and giant dents in the earth.

"**For Advanced Jounin Only"**

The sign read as she passed up a few benches off to the side of a clearing. Yumiko took pace and headed towards an extremely rocky terrain, next to a lake with another, larger and more magnificent waterfall. As she moved closer to the water to cool herself, the young girl took notice to a large gap in the rock behind the falling water, the dark shadows pulling her vision to the crevice in the first place. Curiosity killed the cat, but this feline still had nine lives. Slinking her way inside the tunnel, Yumiko noticed light seeping in and heard birds chirping not too far away. As her instincts told her to keep her senses acute, searching for any hidden traps along the way through the darkened tunnel, she found her hands tracing the sides of the rocky and rough walls. Yumiko reached the warmth of the sun; her eyes darted quickly along the entire field before her-as far as they could reach anyway. Singed targets graced her presence as her feet took her a few hundred yards forward. And just over a hill was a large and beat up stone terrain. Obviously abused and tattered by earth jutsus.

And as she explored the giant training ground, her anger surfaced. If Daiki knew about this place-he had some serious explaining to do…

As she returned to camp, Yumiko noticed Daiki and his _'tea'_ sprawled out by the fire. The young girl hauled him towards the tent and let him sleep that night-knowing that she would be nursing a hangover the next day. But Daiki had disappeared the next morning before Yumiko awoke. And she ran like hell to find the idiot. For all she knew he was drunk again and passed out-or worse-dead. After discovering that he was not in the field, or at the river, or anywhere in the ruins of her village, Yumiko figured there was only one other place he could be. So she followed the path from yesterday, tripping and panting as her legs pumped hard to find her teacher. But when she did-she severely wished she hadn't. Daiki sat, relaxed and ginning, in the hot spring along the path. Resisting to hold in her disgust, Yumiko turned around a flush working its way up her neck and anger piercing her eyes.

"Hello Yumiko! How are you this _fine_ morning?" Daiki asked while peeking out of one of his eyes.

"What the hell? You could have at least warned me or something! _Awkward!_" Yumiko screamed, staring angrily at the ground. How stupid she was for being worried about this moron?

The girl altered the subject quickly, wanting to know answers that she _knew_ he had known all along.

"Why aren't we practicing here anyways?"

"Because you don't know all of the elements yet. Two more to go-then we'll practice here," her sensei explained as the water splashed around him while he reached for his towel on a nearby branch.

She was hesitant to look-even after he told her it was safe to do so. Yumiko knew that sooner or later, she had to. Finally, she let herself peek over her shoulder and sighed in relief when he had told the truth.

"Lightning chakra in a few days. There's another big storm coming-lightning would be perfect for such weather, don't you think?" He asked while passing his student to return to camp.

The young girl was surprised to think that a storm was coming from the look of such perfect blue skies. But Daiki had once told her to expect the unexpected-so of course; she waited for her next element lesson patiently until she saw storm clouds ahead of their camp one evening. Daiki had surprised her yet again,

"I think I'll have you create lighting. Moving it around is just far too easy," he smirked at her disbelieving face, wondering how _moving lightning_ could be considered easy.

She knew that he was only attempting to prepare her for the future… but damn she hated that about him.

"Are you ready, Yumiko!?" Daiki asked in another attempt to get her excited about a new lesson which gnawed at her nerves until she collapsed.

Stuttering an affirmative answer, Yumiko watched Daiki take his stance under a tree at the edge of the forest.

"You know, you're not supposed to stand under a tree when lightning is involved right?"

As far as being concerned for his well being-Yumiko always was.

"I'll be fine-now focus on iron will. That's what the lightning element calls for. Think of something you want to accomplish," he finished, while fishing through his bag again to pull out another bottle of sake.

"Where… the heck… did you get that?" Yumiko asked, a hissing sound penetrating her voice.

"None of your business. Just create lighting."

What she desired most was a problem. There were so many things she wanted. To prove herself; to not be a disgrace. She wanted a life, happiness, family…. She wanted her _friend _back. How selfish she sounded to herself right now. Yumiko found it the safe choice to pick the one that would be a long term goal…. And realistic… hopefully.

"I don't want to be a disgrace any longer," she stated, and the will power behind her words shook her frame, shocking her.

After reliving the actions of her private training in Sunagakure, the young girl was really starting to get sick of the word. But, at the time, she did figure that was the only remark to describe her. Her mind was reeling; her past-in which she was labeled a complete waste of space; friendless and alone. And the present-where she was standing in a field, soaked with rain, originally brought here to bring honor to her family name, to secure a future. What did she have to loose? Nothing that Yumiko could think of… So she introduced her new will and felt more power than she had felt in her entire training with Daiki. And it released from her hands, almost blowing her backwards. Scorch marked earth appeared before her, and then clapping reached her ears. Daiki was resting against the tree, grinning. He knew that after a few months, his student would be more than ready to conquer the next element.

And months later, Yumiko awoke one morning with a stone placed between her eyes. She glared at it for a moment, going cross eyed and shutting her eyes before turning her attention to the whistling from outside the tent. The young girl grabbed onto the rock and rolled out of her blankets to stumble outside the tent flap.

"What was this doing on my face?" Yumiko asked, tossing the stone next to the fire and took her seat across from the teacher.

"I wanted you to have rocks on your mind last night…. So I put that on your head," Daiki attempted to keep in his laughter, ultimately failing.

Over the months she had known him, Yumiko found it difficult to tell if he was drunk-or just had a horrible sense of humor.

"It's time to practice your final major element, Yumiko!"

Numerous boulders had been placed behind their tent, a few larger around than some of the trees the girl had seen and she knew that asking where they came from was a loosing battle. Yumiko stood next to her sensei, trying not to look as intimidated from the boulder as she really was. How could a freshly turned seven year old possibly move these things…

"Alright, make a statue," her sensei deadpanned, leaving her in the clearing to return to his tea-Yumiko almost fell over.

"What?!"

"I think that this also fits into a strategy strengthening category. You've gotta impress me! All you have to do is crush them together," which he emphasized by clamping his palms together and twisting.

'_Yeah… that sounds SO easy.' _With a puff, Yumiko plopped down onto the ground; arms crossed and mind focusing on the task before her. She couldn't piece together how creating a statue to impress her sensei was the same as a battle strategy… but of course you learn new things each day, right? And hours passed before her mind finally processed what to create… although she had no idea how to produce it. After asking for Daiki's help, she wished that she hadn't after seeing the smug smile on his face.

"I want you…" _'Okay….'_ "To feel…" _'What? Feel the boulder? Seems like something he would say...' _"Confident," he finally finished, Yumiko on edge and unconsciously leaning closer towards him, only to screw her features in confusion and slump back with a puff.

Of course it was something ridiculous like that. She felt the air run out of her lungs in a large sigh. Well, from her months with her new sensei-he did teach her something. After all of this, she could be confident-_should _be confident. She survived some of the most difficult events in a person's life; yes, she knew that there was more to come-but she could take it now. She'd been taught that she could and had discovered that most of the elements she practiced sent large burst of chakra rushing through her core-as usual. It came pushing out of her palms and she could feel vibrations rush through the giant rock she approached. Yumiko's eyes widened-not because she was surprised that it had moved, but because the boulder was-at this moment-flying through the air and towards her sensei. The young girl shouted to her teacher, and rushed towards the cloud of dust that collected after it smashed into the ground, and the last place where her sensei was standing.

"I-I'm alright. Just come and get me when you finish," he stammered at first, and then collected his thoughts as he took shelter in the tent-smart move.

And she spent the entire day chipping, moving, and carving the rocks with her chakra. Until finally her project was finished-perfect in each way she could focus on. Yumiko stepped back to relax before retrieving her sensei, taking some pride in her accomplishment and grinning towards a spitting image of Daiki before her-covering each curve of his clothing, hair, and facial structure. Yumiko settled with the goofy grin that he flashed her when he told jokes-good or bad. In his right hand was his _'tea'_ glass, because she had hardly ever seen him without it. Rushing into the tent with a smile, Yumiko all but dragged her sensei to see her work.

"Well, well, well… This is amazing-impressive," he finished with a smile, while shielding his eyes from the sun's rays.

"I would like to congratulate you, Yumiko. You have completed the five main elements," her heaving sigh didn't surprise him-the most intimidating part has been completed.

And that night was possibly the first night that Yumiko did not think of her past-family, friend, or experiences. It was the night that she realized that she could accomplish what ever she wanted. Hard work was something she could rely on-something that wouldn't leave her, crush her…forget her. Yumiko had officially moved on and finally found what she was destined for.

_***~*~*~*~* Time Skip (4 years) *~*~*~*~***_

Four years later, Yumiko had mastered elements she could have never imagined. Some more difficult than others-some she was sure she would never use-but she knew them all the same. Daiki had told her that she was an excellent chakra manipulator, and that she should take pride in that for just being seven at the time he mentioned it. Being an alcoholic, Daiki was often more difficult to understand with his riddles and slur (only when drunk, however). Yumiko would have to admit that Daiki's drinking partner was much worse-Lady Tsunade could be a nasty drunk, but when sober she was pleasant, and quite comical. Daiki had asked her to teach Yumiko medicine-stating that the more prepared his student was for the future-the better. And Yumiko found that she liked brute strength as an option.

Years of completing missions had brought her to some interesting places-but never Suna. The girl had specifically asked to never return there-to which Daiki partially understood. But he feared that she would have to confront it one day, and he would rather it be when he was present to guide her. Daiki was proud of his student's ability to make friends with the over energetic, enthusiastic, and annoying, snot nosed brat Naruto-Okay, he wasn't that horrible. But at times he was... _overwhelming_.

On the two's way back to camp one afternoon, Daiki presented Yumiko with a headband. The ten year old grinned a little while securing the band around her right arm, not pausing to examine the scar she had been hiding for some time now.

"A little late. Most ninjas my age have had these for a while."

"Yeah well, this one is kind of special," he winked, and then instructed her to watch the metal.

As the two crossed the boarder into Kusagakure territory, the symbol changed into blades of grass. _'Interesting…'_ she pondered while twisting her neck to have a better view.

"So the symbol will change to correspond with whatever village I'm near. To hide my identity?" Yumiko questioned, looking towards her sensei for a nod.

Daiki had wished to keep the clan a secret; seeing as how one of the most powerful villains in the world had wanted them dead. The clan had even remained nameless, in fear of being discovered by some other country with more fire power at the time. When asked what to call the clan, Daiki responded to his student,

"Our clan wanted to be considered equal, but of course with our abilities it was hard to hide how different we were. So I guess we never had a name. 'The ANBU clan' was mentioned a few times," he shrugged with a chuckled and continued their course, leaving Yumiko pouting.

Of course, that told her nothing-but she continued to ponder the reasons of why her clan had been nameless until a more interesting subject came. And months later, after a week of relaxing-on Daiki's part-Yumiko went out on an early morning run - just a few miles and then some morning training in the elements; a normal day for the eleven-year old. Until she heard an explosion from their campsite. At first she figured that it was just Daiki; practicing some sort of jutsu so that she could mimic it later. But then Yumiko realized that there was no call for such things-Daiki had always told her when they were to practice a new technique so that she could mentally prepare as well as physically. Yumiko immediately returned to the camp using a shortcut, dodging trees and shrubs and any traps Daiki had set so that she could be surprised at each step she took. Yumiko had wished that she had never set eyes on that destruction. Her sensei's chest ripped open, his labored breathing apparent from a mile away and debris and rubble surrounding his person. The tent he had set up was a tattered mess next to the edge of the tree line, and she was worried to see that there was blood splattered there as well.

Instinctively, she attempted to heal him; but it was far too late. The internal damage was too great to correct without proper equipment-and even if she did try, she would merely exhaust herself and only do a partial job. Then eleven year old was sobbing now, frantically looking around for some kind of hope.

"W-who did this?" she was asking no one in particular, afraid to have her sensei speak and waste any energy left in his body.

Daiki grimaced as he spoke, choking on blood that was escaping his mouth. "Orochimaru, of course," he tried a scowl of anger, but looked more of pain.

"Why?!" keeping her voice sane was so difficult that she had decided to let her emotions get the best of her and sobbed her words out.

"W-word got out that... there was still a trace of the c-clan. He still t-thinks t-that… I'm the last one …But you-you're still h-here," He grinned-an attempted at his usual goofy one, but it failed as he choked again like he did through most of his explanation.

Yumiko screamed at him to not leave yet, that she wasn't ready to be alone-and at her age she figured she really wasn't. But he knew that with her mindset and ability to handle great situations, Yumiko was fully ready.

"Yumiko, I-I've taught you a-all I know and you've been a g-great s-student… and friend," Daiki's breathing slowed and his vision blurred.

"I'm s-so proud of y-you Chi-Chichioya," his last words ground out, and spluttered through blood in his throat.

And he was gone-Yumiko screaming denying words as the wind blew her yells towards the forest. A father-a teacher-a friend; all gone before her very eyes; and Yumiko felt the world crashing down again. All of her work to keep the one good thing in her life close-taken yet again. Could this girl _ever_ have security? She would never forget this man and even as she left him to rest next to her parents with a tombstone that read,

**Here lies Daiki Hokkaido,**

**Advanced Jounin,**

**Friend,**

"**Father"**

She would always remember him as those things… and for once in her life-she didn't think of him as an alcoholic as she kept his glass next to her pillow each night.


	4. The Meeting

**Part 4**

**The Meeting**

Three years later, Yumiko sat by the window of her cottage-which she had built herself amongst the ruins of her village. After finally coming across the cellar in which Daiki had hidden all of his _'tea'_, she decided that it was the perfect place to build upon. All alone in the middle of a forest on the edge of the Land of Wind and Fire, Yumiko spent her days practicing jutsus and completing small missions for money. Yumiko had kept keeping in contact with people a low priority; the only village she affiliated herself with when it came to missions was Konoha, though she hadn't actually been there in person for years. Letters from the Third would come to her cabin, concerning missions, payment, and also just to check up on her well being. As sweet as it was, Yumiko found it unnecessary, but responded all the same.

After Daiki's death, she continually trained, cleaned, cooked-anything to get her mind occupied. Because when it wasn't, all she could think of was memories; that had been taken away from her-ripped painfully from her presence. Yumiko was independent now, making her own items if she could-only leaving for the nearest town to pick up whatever she couldn't. It wasn't until a month ago that Yumiko glanced in the mirror and saw that she wasn't the useless, defenseless, little girl anymore-the one that plagued her dreams. She almost couldn't recognize herself; when she was younger, she had always tried to be happy-or at least appear to be on the outside. Bright and soft colored clothing, long hair-just long enough to hide her eyes as she cast her face downwards. But she looked to the future now; solitude and survival.

Her hair was up now; a high pony-tail on her head, leaving a few stubborn strands of chocolate hair on her forehead. Out of the way mostly, easier to fight that way-she figured out. Her v-neck shirt was black, much like the rest of her outfit now-easier to hide. The sleeves flared outward at the end; fishnet material. She owned fingerless gloves-which she never used so they stayed tucked into her belt around her skirt, which fell a couple of inches above her knees; her weapons pouch settled next to them. Mid-calf zip up boots for comfort and warmth, because she had no idea where she would be for her next mission. Auburn and green speckled eyes, tired looking, mature, deep orbs, settled above a small nose and pink lips-those were mostly flat lined, hardly smiling-only doing so if a role called for it. Her muscles ached constantly-though she didn't show it anymore.

Her headband was strapped around her right arm, covering her scar-and her past. Thoughts of Gaara would occasionally plague her mind, had be detached himself from the rest of the world as he did her? Did he have any new friends? Abilities? And most importantly-why did she care? Her training had consumed her as the monster did Gaara… and she desperately tried to convince herself that the two were the same-but deep down she knew it paled in comparison. On that day which she caught glimpse of the different girl in the mirror, she wondered; _'Why are you still caught? Each night in my nightmares?'_

On a sunny afternoon, a messenger bird tapped on her window as Yumiko washed dishes from her early dinner. The moment she pushed open her front door, the bird came rushing in, out of the harmful sun rays and onto the shaded table in her kitchen. Quickly flipping open the canister on its leg, Yumiko brought out the letter and patted the bird as it watched her. Another letter from the Third, however, this one was completely different from his other notes this month.

_Dear Yumiko,_

_I have a task for you. Your assistance is needed in Konoha for a special mission. This is a job that I can only trust you with. We will be expecting your arriva. Please come prepared._

_Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage_

And she was packing immediately; he had always told her of the details of the mission because she accepted each one. This discretion told her that it was far too important to let go into the air so that an enemy could intercept. Yumiko left an hour later, zipping through the trees silently and took her time to think of the village she would be returning to. Had it changed? Well of course-everything changed, for better or for worse. The idea of Konoha changing into a horrible village started her, and she slipped on a wet branch and tumbled to the ground. The young teen hardly felt anything as she collided with the earth; pain had been something she couldn't risk anymore. Weakness would destroy her… She learned that from early experiences.

"Nice to see you again Yumiko! How are you?" the Third asked her as she approached the gates of Konoha.

"Likewise, Hokage-sama. I've been comfortable," she bowed, pleased that the village hadn't changed.

"Are you ready to discus your mission?" the Hokage asked, though he knew her answer before the urgent nod came.

The two passed buildings that brought light to Yumiko's eyes. The ramen shop; where she first met Naruto, the flower shop; her usual hangout to pick on Ino, the school; where she had _officially_ met all of her friends. And soon the giant Hokage building, placed before the giant mountain with generations of Hokage's stretched across it. The inside of his office never changed, the overlook of the village was peaceful, as it would hopefully always be. The Hokage was in a hurry to get to the point-as always.

"Yumiko, the Chuunin Exams are coming up and I need you to protect something for me…" he stated from his chair, serious features staring at her. She nodded and waited for him to continue.

"The Jinchurikis will be in great danger, and I need you to watch over them," he finished, leaning back in his chair to watch her reaction.

The plural form of 'Jinchuriki' startled her. Naruto was one, or course, but the other?

"Excuse me sir, 'them'?" she questioned, worried for the answer.

"Sabaku no Gaara will be participating in the exams," he confirmed and Yumiko gasped silently.

The monster Gaara? Or had he gotten better in the seven years they had been apart?

"Naruto won't be difficult for you to keep an eye on-he does attract quite a lot of attention. And of course I only wish for you to observe Gaara-no contact necessary."

She was wondering if he knew about her past, or was only protecting her by the reaction she gave. Yumiko agreed, not going to give in to the fear and doubt that plagued her mind at the sound of _his_ name. The girl was to enroll in the exams as well, which meant that she would have to confront him-possibly-she figured that the Hokage would protect her from such confrontations. And over the next week, Yumiko settled into an apartment next to Rock Lee-which wasn't difficult because of the crack of dawn morning calls and strenuous training which she was used to; though she was not as enthusiastic about the tasks. It was on a bright afternoon that she was out strolling when shrieks of Konohamaru reached her, just on the other side of the fence she presumed. As she pushed her body upwards with a jump, her hands just barely grasped the top-she was short; coming in at only four feet and ten inches. She flipped her body over the wood, landing a few feet from an upside down Konohamaru and a young man in purple face paint. _'Yumiko to the rescue, it seems,' _she inwardly sighed-knowing that her quiet evening was already ruined.

"The hell do you think you are doing?" she sternly asked while approaching, arms crossed and a frightening sneer on her features.

"Get lost, I'm teaching this punk a lesson," the older boy stated evenly, not even bothering to look at Yumiko.

Konohamaru grinned upon seeing his new friend; his face had grown blood red from the upside down position. Yumiko finally got a glance at the village symbol the other boy was wearing and immediately went on edge.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, ass wipe," the fourteen year old insulted, taking her stance and predicting the number of possibilities the outcome of the fight would end in her favor.

The boy scoffed, turning his attention back to Konohamaru while mumbling,

"Wasting my energy on some weak girl would be brainless on my part."

"I've never met a guy with such a death wish before," and she sprung into action before another insult could escape the older boy.

Yumiko used her agility to appear behind the boy and clamp a hand down on his shoulder to release Konohamaru. The larger male was thrown against the fence, surprisingly with not enough force to break it. The young girl grabbed him again and lifted his arm around to his back, almost to the point of snapping it out of place. While her rage was still in play, Yumiko muttered her true feelings,

"Such a disgrace to Suna and shinobi lifestyle… picking on small children and disrespecting women… So weak too; I could have done much worse than this," and she twisted the captured arm further, earning a startled cry.

Yumiko removed her hand and crossed over to Konohamaru, who was patiently waiting with a smile.

"Nice to see you again Yumiko!"

"Nice to see you too, kid," she gave a soft grin and returned her attention to the path before her.

Naruto appeared before them, and asked why Konohamaru was banged up-after a very large hug and screaming for Yumiko's arrival. She relayed the past few minutes to the blonde and Sakura, who had appeared shortly after Naruto. The idiot decided to give the boy in black a piece of his mind and stormed off, Sakura right on his heels to try and stop him. Yumiko then offered to take Konohamaru out to lunch, which he gladly accepted. Her mind later wandered if this was the last time she would see them; death at the Chuunin exams was not a strange event.

After preparing for the exams that night, she was excited to see the halls filled with familiar faces for the first part of the tests. Yumiko appeared at the door where a crowd had gathered, all shouting profanities, mind you. Two teens blocked the path, Izumo and Kotetsu she remembered after focusing on their chakra signatures. They had met her once-in a bar with Daiki of course. Though they weren't about to play favorites-that would blow her cover obviously. As the small teen pushed her way to the door, a leg shot out to block her path.

"Where are you going, tiny?" he insulted, smirking-Izumo

"Obviously I am trying to pass-May I?" polite-you catch more flies with honey.

"No, no I don't think so," he appeared to be thinking it over, however, Izumo smirked again.

She attempted again, stopped by Kotetsu this time. Yumiko huffed, rolling her eyes and lifting her hands to grasp the collar of both 'boys' shirts. After a strong tug they were eye level with her-angered, willful, confident orbs glaring at both of them. Her voice was harsh-stern and controlled.

"Listen you idiots, you _will_ let me through or suffer permanent brain damage. And you're lucky that I would stop there."

Little did she know; her greatest fear was behind her-hearing each word happily. Gaara had no idea who this young woman was-but he enjoyed hearing threatening words that-for once-did not come from him.

Once more people filed into the exam room, Yumiko began to see unfamiliar faces; and unfortunately one not too unfamiliar.

"What the hell are you going here?! I'm gonna kick your ass!" the boy with purple face paint shrieked from the doorway, causing Yumiko to turn around-eyes questioning.

"Oh, it's just you," she returned nonchalantly, hands settling on her hips, one side of her lips tugging upward.

"Is there a problem Kankuro?" a blonde asked, appearing from the same doorway.

Kankuro had made his way over to the girl, eyes ablaze. Yumiko was a little startled at the name-Gaara's brother's name…_ 'Shit…'_ she grumbled to herself. That would mean that the blonde was Temari, a force she would rather not confront in this confined space. _'That would mean-"_ her thoughts were stilled when she saw the red-head making his way towards his brother, crossed arms and eyes rimmed in pitch black. Her only option was to run at this point-though she knew it was cowardice but Yumiko did not deem herself courageous enough to face him now. When she did, Kankuro shouted,

"Hey, I'm not finished with you!"

She felt the eyes of Gaara boring into her person as Kankuro turned her forcefully by the shoulder. To which she responded by swiping her foot beneath his to send him tumbling to the floor. Her fist reared back as she held him steady with her left hand, but did not move to hurt him further.

"Why, Kankuro-you never even started," was her quick, witty, and unshaken reply-surprising herself given the current company.

As a tall, intimidating, scarred face of Ibiki crossed the threshold into the room, Yumiko immediately fled her battle and took a seat, hearing the words that frightened her-if only just a little-

"Quiet down you punks! I'm Ibiki Morino, your protector… and from this moment, your worst enemy!"

As time passed, Yumiko took notice that the monster that she had desperately wished she had forgotten was only a few seats down from her. The poor girl had enough time to think about that, seeing as how she was done early-as was Sakura. Of course she knew the pink haired girl would be-she was the smartest in class after all. While worrying for Naruto's group, she could feel someone staring at the back of her head and she wondered if it was Gaara…. But he was on her left-it would be impossible for him to… _'Would it?' _To test it, she scribbled a threatening letter down onto the side of her paper-not bothering to sensor it-that was half the fun anyway. _(You better like what you're looking at now, shit head-because it just may be the last thing you set your punk ass eyes on.) _Yumiko got her answer when she saw a sadistic smirk reach the red-head's lips. And that was how she entertained herself until the final question.

With the last few teams remaining, Ibiki was kind enough to notify all of the teams that if the question was answered wrong, you would never be aloud to take the Chuunin Exams again. Only if you answered incorrectly…

And Naruto was already raising his hand, much to the young teen's disbelief. Idiot! Letting someone like Ibiki break him-one of the strongest people Yumiko knew. Yumiko slammed her hand down on the desk with a crack to push herself up and hissing towards the left of the room, where Naruto was seated.

"The hell are you doing? This far just to give up? Just because of this excessively frightening looking man?"

"Hey!" Ibiki gave a cross look, tucking his arms under one another.

"My apologies, but you are kind of scary," Yumiko stated, as politely as she possibly could; brow raised.

And Naruto began to lower his hand, knowing that being selfish and afraid was not his way. Finally, after minutes of waiting in intense silence, Ibiki announced that everyone had passed-and was interrupted by Anko Miarashi; who came busting through the window and announced herself the protector for the second part of the exams.

"Um…. I wasn't finished yet, Anko."

Anko had sent a message to Yumiko that evening and said that she wished to see her at the 44th Training Grounds early the next day. And the tired girl did, approaching the purple haired woman who was seated on a rock not too far from the fenced in grounds.

"Yumiko, the Hokage wanted me to tell you to focus on following Gaara for this part of the exams. Don't worry about Naruto, alright?" If it was an order from the Third, Yumiko would follow it to the letter.

"And I'm going to be giving you both of these scrolls, just keep up with Gaara and **don't** **get** **caught**," Anko ordered, creating a stern voice for the last few words.

After being given the directions which she would later hear at the beginning of the test, Yumiko remained at the training grounds; all the while hoping that there would be no confrontation at all between the monster of Suna and the young teen. All of her training, through years of solitude and emotional stress-and she still ran from her past that she continually told herself she was strong enough to face.

The forest was dark, damp, and filled with creatures that Yumiko could only pray she would never see again. A half hour after beginning the exam, she stumbled across the Suna team while they were confronting a man from the Land of Rain. Yumiko found it odd that the men seemed to have challenged them and not vice versa. Whether he was stupid or overconfident, no one would ever know…. Although Yumiko was leaning more towards the former. Yumiko thought it frightening that she found Gaara's move predictable; as if she had known that he would immediately come to the idea of killing this man and his team…. As Kankuro gave the imbeciles' information on the jutsu that would ultimately kill them, the young girl in the trees remained hidden, eyes wide and unbelievably trained on the spectacle below. It was remarkable to see how the group would turn from explaining the other's reasons to almost beating each other into a pulp-mainly Kankuro's doing.

Yumiko was surprised that the group ran into no more troubles and continued flawlessly to the tower. She arrived roughly around the same time as the Suna team, making sure to send signals to the cameras around the building so that Anko would know that everything had run smoothly. Yumiko then made her way into the tower, taking note of every seedy looking wall, plant, or floorboard she saw in the rundown building. After taking her time to walk through the area, the girl took her room of choice and placed any belongings on her person-that weren't weapons-on her bed and took the key with her. An unexpected guest was the last thing she needed tonight. It was a simple room; a bed, mirror, and bathroom at least. All she needed for a comfortable stay. Yumiko took her time exploring the building and finally settled on staring out of an open window into the Forest of Death.

She felt the Suna siblings come towards her from the right, feeling each chakra signature-starting a little when she felt the over powering one of Gaara. The brunette had decided that she would not live in fear of something that was not important…_anymore_. Yumiko turned sharply to the three, meeting their gazes. How easy it was to say that she was no longer afraid of the beast, in her _head_… The least threatening member approached her first, revenge stricken as per usual.

"Surprising that you made it this far. But I am grateful that we're alone so I can kick your ass," Kankuro moved to snatch the girl by the shirt, only to be stopped by her own hand twisting his wrist to the point of snapping.

"You don't seem to understand that I do not fear sniveling, disgraceful, ignorant beings such as you. From what I have seen your fighting style is weak and sloppy at best," Yumiko grinned, unfazed by the taller man's threat as she released her grip for usher him away from her person.

Of course, that didn't settle well with his sister when she noticed her brother's discomfort; having the gall to start insulting Yumiko in return. Obviously she had never insulted anyone before-there was no plot to her accusations and she finally resorted to Yumiko's quote "boring" hairstyle. The shorter girl scoffed aloud,

"Forgive me for not being up to date on style in Sunagakure. It seems the idiotic pom-pom look is in."

Temari suddenly felt uneasy at the girl's even stare and unnaturally sounding stern voice-especially for her stature. As she retreated, Yumiko realized that the only person left in the room was Gaara… and her memories flooded back behind a blank façade. Half of her waited for an insult, and the other waited for realization… But why? He had obviously forgotten about her, his siblings had. Yumiko wished that she could see the light in his eyes just once more… but the darkness was almost hypnotizing in the misty green orbs.

"Pleasure to finally meet The Beast of the Sand," Yumiko nodded, fearing to remove her eyes from the danger present in the room.

She could feel her body shake after he retreated, not having said a word the entire time. Merely staring at her and wondering which would break first. Gaara was interested in this girl's mind… Shukaku seemed to be as well. But of course he could snap her neck in seconds; he fought to try and resist the act-his demon screaming at him to push through and complete it. It was the thought of this girl struggling to fight back-to live-that sent the killing urge through him. And Shukaku would see to it that he would be satisfied.

Yumiko was glad to see her friends make it through the forest, and worried at the same time. Her cover was blown after all…

_Flashback_

_Yumiko was called to the front of the groups, and gave the Hokage a curious glance as she took her spot next to the man. Gaara's eyes were plastered to her, curious and following each move with the slow travel of his orbs-but not at all showing it. Shukaku was far too busy nagging at him that something was off with that girl and that they should have gotten rid of her when they had the chance. The young girl was shocked to hear the words escape the Third's lips with ease,_

"This is Kyoto Yumiko, and she is currently on a mission. She will not be competing in the following events, for she has already advanced in the rankings."

_Eyes wide, the girl frantically turned her head to the man. The _HELL_ was he doing? _'At least he didn't describe the mission.' _Though at this point she wouldn't put it past him to do so._

_End Flashback_

It was later that night-restless as usual-that Yumiko saw Gaara alone on a rooftop of one of the buildings attached to the tower. She took it as a challenge-quite a risky one at that. Arriving on the roof to see him staring at the moon, soft light hitting his face reminded Yumiko why she was friends with him in the past. He had a peaceful side to him… somewhere under all of the hate and anger. She made her appearance known by taking her stride in beside him-trying not to be fazed by his glare and unsettling easy posture.

"How are you this evening?" Yumiko asked in a monotone, gazing out over the unnatural deadly forest.

Him remembering was something she desperately wanted-_needed_. In fact she was a little hurt that he didn't remember her when the Hokage formally introduced her to the teams. But then again, he did have all these years and tormenting for his demon to forget his past. All of the years she spent alone, fighting for no one but herself, and trying to forget the memories that once made her smile… Because reliving them was unnecessary for her lifestyle. And it took all of her being to force herself to forget-to merely attempt to do so. But she never could. Deep down, Yumiko was selfish. _Damn it_, she wanted to see that small boy again-before the darkness surfaced. And she would if it killed her; which she assumed it could very well tonight. Her moments were smooth as the girl lifted her sleeve and untied her band, letting the red scar brighten in the moonlight. The young woman sighed and rubbed the area, feeling the cool night air hit the embedded skin for the first time in what felt like ages. The band was retied around her neck, its new resting place for the evening. Silence hung in the air, even after the redhead craned his head around to stare at her scar.

"How disappointing..." Yumiko's voice lulled. "You would think that seven years would be enough time to think of _something_… It was nice to meet you again_, Gaara_," her voice dripped with sarcasm of course and she turned to make her way back to her room-to secure each door, window, and crack she could find.

Her vision was suddenly blocked by a large wall of sand, threatening to consume her with each grain that shuddered under the power of the red head. With a smirk, Yumiko's gaze returned to the young man; slightly shocked to see a flicker of emotion cross his façade before it quickly returned to stone-perhaps fear? More likely rage and bloodlust. Taking a chance to test the strength and stability of this boy, Yumiko traced a finger across the sand wall behind her-pleased to feel the calmness beneath… however strained it was.

"You didn't say anything?"

"Ah, so it _does_ speak."

"Why?" he repeated, more forcefully this time and eyes piercing Yumiko's own.

"I _assumed_ you would remember… Oh well, my own stupidity it seems… Should've known better," Yumiko's words seemed to have struck him, though he fought to show it.

Gaara rose slowly, causing Yumiko to feel threatened and her heart to nearly explode. He now remembered, but he was not the same… she didn't understand why she thought he would be… Silly dream she presumed. At Gaara's second step towards her, she retreated one.

"I can't trust you Gaara-not like I used to. I'm just here to keep an eye on you and I thought you should know who I was in case shit hits the fan," and she retreated, moving the sand wall in the midst of her explanation.

And he let her leave; no attempts to stop her, no more words to exchange. Gaara watched her leave, questioning if this girl really _was_ the one in his distant memories, or dreams-he couldn't recall anymore. But the girl he _assumed_ he remembered could not move his sand, or take down a man that towered over her by at least a foot, or even scale a wall.

Yumiko awoke the next day, curious and excited to watch her friends battle to excel in the shinobi lifestyle. And as she prepared for her morning, the young girl replayed the previous night's happenings in her head. The boy had appeared to be stuck by the reveal-maybe there was something to uncover still? However, if she spent all of her time thinking and even attempting to come up with an explanation, Yumiko was going to be late for the preliminary round. Like many others, the girl strode into the stadium-choosing to wait next to the Hokage for precautionary measures. Passing a man-who was obviously there for a reason other than inspecting the exams, leaned on the wall as the young woman passed by. The girl knew that she would have to be extra careful during this part of the exam, or risk her mission entirely.

And after eight _long_, painful-and sometimes ridiculous-matches, Gaara's name was finally called. Yumiko turned her attention to the arena; having been preoccupied in the infirmary for the time being-tending to cuts, bruises, and gaping wounds. She ignored the seat next to the Hokage and chose to lean against the railing, eyes glued to the two boys meeting in the middle of the stone room. The Hokage vaguely wondered if Yumiko noticed herself shifting left and right to subconsciously avoid Lee's punches and kicks. She could feel her stomach plummet at the sight of the green clad boy finally planting a hit on Gaara's cheek. The sad part was, she couldn't tell if it was because of the realization that the red-head was finally struck, or what Lee was going to be suffering shortly after. Though she was sure that she didn't have much to worry about after watching the incredible display Lee was giving at the time. However it was almost frightening that her temporary neighbor could hold such strength-and even more so that Gaara had not even been remotely affected because of it. Yumiko was obviously underestimating the Beast of the Sand-and she was praying that there wouldn't be another battle concerning him for quite sometime.

Her protective side surfaced as Gai-sensei blocked the attempt to kill the already far-too-damaged Rock Lee; even after the match was declared over. By this time, Yumiko had already rushed to her friend's side, and kneeled as she screamed for the medics, auburn eyes glaring at the Jinchuriki lying on the ground.

"You've won again, _monster_," Yumiko hissed out while helping to move Lee into the infirmary, just barely letting the final word slip out in a hushed whisper.

Yumiko was angry now, and not only because of her friend lying near death in the hospital-which was caused by a childhood 'friend'; but because she was as careless to get kidnapped while making her way home. Damn her for her attempt to save an elderly lady who cried out for help… she should have known better. Her gaze was met with a curtain of black and she could feel the ropes around her joints. _'Fabulous,'_ Yumiko huffed, trying to slip her hand to the edge of her shirt. Her senses were acute from the darkness and she could feel the presence of some…. thing? If it was human she really doubted she would enjoy the sight.

"Who are you, and why did you attack me?" Yumiko asked the life form, watching its chakra mass move from the back of the room to the middle where she was seated.

"Hm, I see you have the strong attitude of your clan…" the pale man stated as he lit a torch to approach Yumiko.

Part of the girl imagined Orochimaru to be more ferocious, terrifying, blood-thirsty… something out of fairytales; or similar to Gaara. Yumiko retched back with a hiss as he came uncomfortably close, examining her face with large yellow eyes. She noticed that weak bone structure he seemed to have-old age did that to humans… Yumiko thought it strange that his previous partners appeared not affected by the years. Orochimaru's experiments must have been self-inflicted at times.

"So it was you-At the preliminaries," a nod from the snake in disguise.

"What do you want with Naruto and Gaara?" Yumiko asked, grazing the hilt of one of her kunai with her fingers.

"Oh, I am not interested in the Jinchuriki. Mainly you-and Sasuke of course," Orochimaru smirked, pulling away from the girl as she spit into his direction.

"So you will kill me like the rest of my clan? Hardly a fair fight."

"I have no intention of killing you-_yettttt_," the unnerving hiss sent chills down her spine and Yumiko had to keep in her frightened whimper.

"…You were terrified of them, weren't you? An obstacle in the road to world domination. But you thought that was over, right? If it weren't for the Third mentioning my last name we wouldn't even be here right now," her confidence grew as the sensation of revenge eased her nerves. "I hope you're reliving that feeling of _threat_ that my clan-" she was interrupted when his cold, pale hand slapped against her head.

Yumiko whipped her head back to face him, confidence not ceased by the blow. Kabuto Yakushi strolled into the room at that moment, casting a quick glance at the girl in the chair; his glasses shinning in what little light there was in the cell. The girl had paid little attention to him during the exams-since he dropped out before the preliminaries had even begun.

"Stick with poison _Snake_, and leave the brute strength to your minions," Yumiko tilted her head to gesture to the young rival medic-nin across the room.

"Would you like for me to kill her now, Orochimaru-sama?" the follower questioned, sending glares of disgust in Yumiko's direction.

Yumiko was finally able to stretch her fingers to snatch the kunai on her back. A few more uncomfortable seconds and she would be free. While Orochimaru was occupied with his pupil, the girl slashed downward to cut the rope; unfortunately slicing her forearm in the process, but that could be fixed at a later date. Quickly doing the same to her ankles, Yumiko retreated from the two and waited for any attack the pale man would attempt. Undoubtedly Kabuto would listen to any order given by the snake like a lost puppy-she would have to include his actions in her escape route.

"And where did she get that from?" Orochimaru hissed at his crony, who flinched in response.

"Try and search for more and I'll kill you," she answered evenly, keeping note of their energy signatures while searching for the door Kabuto appeared from.

"Fine," Orochimaru smirked again, raising a hand to stop his student from pursuing. "You may leave Yumiko; but remember that this isn't the last of me," and he slinked out the door, leaving the light streaming in from the outside.

Of course, Yumiko was knocked unconscious again-only to awake in her hotel room. Her vision was blurry for a moment, and she touched the bruise forming above her left eye. _'Ouch, ouch, ouch…'_ she hissed, flinching at the idea of being carried here by a minion of her enemy. The cut on her arm was healed easily under the glow of her hand and she wrapped the area with a bandage to prevent any further damage and questioning of the temporary scar. Yumiko checked out the window, and could see a dot of red moving through the streets-which were usually buzzing with activity. She then noticed that the bees had simply moved to the sides of the road. Why?

Rushing to peek over the railing after hauling ass out the door, Yumiko wondered what Gaara was doing amongst a crowd of people in the daylight.

"Hey!" Yumiko uncharacteristically yelled in his direction, gaining his attention successfully.

After a dash down a flight of stairs and spinning herself around the post at the bottom, Yumiko was face-to-face with her fear. And she realized that he wasn't as frightening when he was out of his element; surrounded by people in broad daylight. He preferred the dark-or at least Shukaku did; he must have found the dead bodies more majestic in the moonlight. Gaara's death like stare penetrated her own and it gave Yumiko a clear chance to glimpse deep into his mind… or at least it so. She knew what that face looked like with a smile, a pout, a frown, and tears. And it was sad that she preferred the latter on his face than the blank dead look she received now.

Gaara was shocked she had returned. He had come to her apartment late last night to question her further-possibly even kill her. And the boy would admit that he was rather curious of her after the reveal. A childhood friend-something he couldn't recall without Shukaku screaming for blood. That was it wasn't it? Shukaku stole the life of others to live-and being his container; so should Gaara… correct? More importantly, he wanted to know why she hated him now. He knew that was why she said she couldn't trust him. Being hated was nothing new to him-he had learned to embrace it, and make it the source of his power.

"How strange to see a nocturnal mammal drifting in the daytime," Yumiko looked upward to meet his gaze more squarely.

"Hn…"

"May I ask why?" Watching his eyes slowly turn to the direction of the bystanders, Yumiko took the hint and gestured her hand to the roofs.

They were silent for a moment; Yumiko impatient for the explanation as to why he was frightening the citizens of Konoha.

"Now would be an opportune moment to explain yourself," she stated, crossing her arms and raising a brow.

"You ran from me," he graveled out, fists clenching as his arms were also crossed over his chest.

"Pardon?"

"Last night, you knew that I would come-so you ran. Afraid of death, I see."

"I assure you, _Gaara,_ that I did not run from you. Mission details called me away for a while… I have no reason to fear you-or death for that matter," ah, so easy to _say_.

"Your hate for my being tells me otherwise."

"'Hate'? Oh _no, no, no_. I'm indifferent towards you, Gaara… though you do seem to tip the scales in a negative fashion at times."

"If you don't hate me, then why should you not trust me?"

"… I've always had trust issues I guess…" Yumiko whispered, turning her attention to the large village beneath them.

After the chat with Gaara, Yumiko was sure to steer clear of him and take extra precaution when alone. And half of the one month wait for the Chuunin exams was gone before the next incident. While Yumiko volunteered at the hospital in her spare time, she became close friends with those who worked there, and most of the patients. She took it upon herself to check on Lee each time possible-and after seeing Sakura leave his room Yumiko figured that it was empty… She was sadly mistaken.

"The hell is going on!?" Yumiko dropped her clipboard upon seeing Gaara trapped by Shikamaru and Naruto punching the red-head in the face.

"Gaara was going to kill Lee!" the blonde shrieked as he went in for another punch.

"Wait Naruto! I'm still attached to this guy, you know," Shikamaru was still trying to recover form the last hit.

"All of you, **stop.** You are disturbing the patient," though it was a lie, because Lee was still sound asleep-most likely because of all of the drugs that had been pushed into his system.

"You two leave him to me," Yumiko ordered as Naruto and Shikamaru left the room, unwillingly.

The door shut quietly, leaving Yumiko to face Gaara alone.

"Came back to finish the job, I see."

"I-It wasn't me," Yumiko tried to keep any shock from reaching her face at his stutter.

"Then control that damn monster before it kills all of Konoha!"

"He is under control."

"Is he? Or does telling yourself that make you feel less guilty?"

Such courage she had when it came to trash talking Shukaku! Yumiko ordered Gaara to leave after no reply came, and could feel herself collapse from the inside out. But Lee was still asleep, thankfully. And her friend's safety was all that mattered.

On the day of the final exam, Yumiko was grateful. She was beginning to tire of Konoha-or at least her mission. The girl would be upset to leave her friends, however. Especially the Third-who was currently seated next to another disguised Orochimaru; and when she was about to ask, he guided Yumiko out of the booth and into the corridor.

"As you can see, this day is not going to end well," the Hokage _chuckled_; much to her disbelief as she let tears escape her.

"Do tell Naruto something for me…"

And as the day began to wind down, Yumiko was on alert for Sasuke and Gaara's battle. She was forced to wait for the Uchiha's arrival, which had begun to take a toll on her. She wasn't completely sure who to support in this fight; her childhood friend-turned monster, or a heartless boy-one of the last of his clan…like she was. She soon had her answer when the boy and Kakashi appeared in the middle of the arena in a whirlwind of leaves.

"A smidge overdramatic, don't you think?" Yumiko asked, receiving a huge smile and barking laugh from the Third.

The girl excused herself to get a closer look at the upcoming match-the contestant booth seemed appropriate. Dashing across the field, she apologized to the guards who questioned her appearance. It was difficult to keep her footing on such battered terrain, but the girl managed and broke into the shaded hall as two men began to chat about Gaara. She decided to persuade the pair to leave-saving herself and them some trouble.

"This area is for fighters and staff only. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Mind your business, bitch," another rude reply to a polite request.

"Excuse me?" Yumiko was growing tired of the disrespect she was constantly being shown.

"You heard us. Now get lost!"

"I do not feel inclined to do so," the girl smirked, feeling their anger rise.

"Then we'll have to _persuade_ you," a threat-and most certainly not empty.

Gaara was making his way to his battle when he heard the conversation. He was angered that two men would come to attack his obvious prey. This girl was the only one who knew his true side before Shukaku won-the demon found it best to eliminate her. He watched as one man grabbed her from behind and the other came in for a hit. Yumiko's speed was impressive-kicking the man in the teeth as he reared back quickly. When the one restricting her saw this, a weapon was revealed and flew towards her stomach. The brunette shot back, swiping her hand before her and let a blade of wind deflect the object. Gaara noted her carelessness as he saw the man she had kicked returning from behind with a concealed blade. He thought that this event had gone far enough-she was his kill after all.

Sand swept the two up, screaming, begging, and crying, then devoured them. Yumiko turned to her savior-though she was a little stunned to see him. She noticed his 'control' as he called it, slipping. And the edginess of the demon in his posture.

"I'd appreciate it, if you didn't do anything stupid out there. Make my job a little easier," Yumiko smirked while placing her hands on her hips.

His façade matched hers as he continued on his way to battle. Gaara slowed as he reached her, maneuvering around Yumiko while keeping an even stare focused on her own orbs. As Gaara made it to the opening, her voice halted him and his head turned back over his shoulder.

"I am unsure of your intentions-but aid was unnecessary. I'm not the defenseless little girl Gaara knew before," referring to him in third person shook him, and she was more than happy that it did.

Yumiko had been on edge the entire match, having to be dragged back into the booth from the railing by Shino several times… Not that Temari wasn't doing the same thing with her brother. Each time Sasuke went in for a blow to the giant sand globe, Yumiko cringed in fear that it would shatter. She didn't know how Gaara would react if he was injured again… or if he _could_ handle it. After the Uchiha's many attempts to reach the Suna-nin, Yumiko began to feel at ease. Sasuke would eventually tire himself out at the speed he was going. It was wrong for her to assume such things when the black-clad boy ran up the wall to charge his power into an electrical ball. And it all spiraled down from there. Impressive as it was that he had finally broken through the orb-it was dangerous. Shukaku was winning.

Shikamaru and Shino hauled Yumiko out of the way before debris from the arena wall could smash her on the rail. The girl wondered when things had taken the turn for the absolute worse-With Hiruzen battling Orochimaru and her friends flying towards a hole in the wall where Gaara had escaped, Yumiko felt overwhelmed. But she followed Shino, momentarily shocked when Kankuro appeared and challenged the bug-user. The girl was smart enough to find a way around the duel, and quickly came upon a sight that she never imagined; Naruto and Gaara battling-possibly to the death, which frightened her. Yumiko shoved her body onto a branch to catch her breath-until Sakura screamed for her help. After a quick examination of Sasuke, Yumiko discovered broken bones; a few snapped ribs and wrist, heavy bruising and possibly moderate internal bleeding. She knew that she didn't have enough chakra to heal him _and_ help in the ongoing Jinchuriki feud behind her.

"Sakura, I'm sorry-but he needs a full staff and equipment. The only thing we can do now is keep him comfortable."

Of course, Sakura was completely destroyed by that statement. Her childhood 'love' left to groan in discomfort while a battle waged before him. Yumiko was finally able to view the monster that she had been terrified of for years-because she knew what it was capable of. Shukaku destroyed lives with a single action, could tear apart villages with a growl, and kill without thought. A giant, sand colored beast with markings of royal blue and eyes that haunted Yumiko's dreams-capturing her and crushing her bones. With the sheer size of it, the girl couldn't help but be in awe. It was odd how she wasn't at all phased by the huge, vicious fox-not that Shukaku wasn't vicious either; on the contrary, Yumiko had to force herself to move after remembering that protecting them was part of her mission. _'But how do I protect them from each other?' _

She settled herself at the top of a tree, watching intently and wondering what she could possibly do to stop the madness. Gaara had fallen asleep, letting Shukaku have free control to kill and devour the nine-tails canister. To watch him do that to his own person distressed Yumiko. Seeing him fast asleep; something he was terrified of as a child-he would do that to defeat the blonde? It was then that Yumiko had finally realized that her old friend was gone-completely consumed by the monster that drove her away-forced her to find refuge in something that she was weary of… If she thought of it that way, she would have to thank him one day-or slap him.

"Naruto! Gaara!" she screamed, witnessing the two falling onto the canopy before her.

They ignored her, however and launched at each other again. Bruised, battered, and now bleeding from the collision of skulls. _'Dear Kami, be alive!' _Yumiko screamed while descending to the spot where the two lay.

"It's almost unbearable, isn't it… the pain of being all alone. I know that feeling, I've been there, in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I'll never give up; I will stop you, even if I have to kill you! They saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness, they were the first to accept me as who I am. They're my friends."

She prayed that Naruto wouldn't kill Gaara, and willed herself to step between the two as Naruto crawled toward the red-head and said boy screamed for him to stop.

"Naruto, you can stop now," she sounded pleading; because she was, even as her attention was pulled to the red-head.

Her feet edged Yumiko closer to the one-tail; eyes calm and breathing deep.

"Gaara?" she questioned, giving easing gestures to his siblings as they came to retrieve him.

Gaara was pondering what Naruto had declared. Friends… something he hadn't experienced-or maybe he had. His only positive childhood memory was standing next to him, a hand outstretched and giving smooth moments as to not startle him. _**'Stop her…'**_ but Shukaku's order was too weak from the battle-so it was easily ignored.

"I can help you… Gaara will let me, right?" third person again-because at this point she had no idea which of the two beings she was speaking with.

She was his friend, before he fell into self-loathing. Maybe she could be his friend now? So he nodded and felt her kneel beside his head, placing a small patch on his forehead.

"Kankuro, Temari; could you help me escort your brother to the hospital?"

Before the brother could rudely reject, his sister scolded him; saying that they would be glad to help their little brother. Yumiko smiled at Naruto as she helped him stand, and mumbled,

"Changing the world one person at a time, huh?"

Yumiko sighed as her back hit the softness of her bed. All day at the hospital with more injuries to heal than she assumed she could handle. Thankfully Konoha had a competent staff-or so she thought before frantic knocks came bursting at her door. Pushing herself up, she physically dragged herself across the room while grabbing onto hooks on the wall for support. A white nurse uniform greeted her through the peep-hole. Squinting in the harsh light that streamed through her door, Yumiko questioned the nurse's appearance.

"Uh-umm… there's a s-slight problem, Yumiko-san," the woman stuttered, hiding behind a small clipboard she had carried with her through town.

"How _slight_?" she questioned, quirking her brow while leaning out the door.

"W-well…"

….

Yumiko stormed through the hospital doors, nodding to a few villagers and trying to calm herself. Though she could have been doing a better job… _'Incompetent, lazy, moronic, pathetic little weasels!'_ Upon seeing the front desk, she scanned the list of rooms and found the patient's name, scribbled and messy-just like a doctor. At this time, however, she wasn't too partial to Konoha's doctors.

She slammed a door open and stepped in, completely unfazed by the shrieking coming form the hall. Yumiko pivoted and snatched a doctor by the coat, dragging him halfway into the room and muttering threatening words to him; stating that if he didn't return in two minutes with new paperwork for the jinchuriki, he'd be sorry. Sending out a puff of air to rid the obstructing view of her hair, Yumiko brought her gaze to the red-head. He was alone, sitting up in his bed surrounded by pale sheets and pillows; which made his skin tone look even more dead-like. Yumiko approached, cautiously, and gave a small smile.

"How are you feeling?" A nod.

"I'm going to remove that patch now, alright?" Another nod.

As her hands reached toward that paper, Yumiko noticed they shook. But they stopped after she began to peel the patch away… he didn't react negatively to her helping him-a first time experience.

"I hope your head has healed. Or else the patch wouldn't have done its job. It uses chakra to pull a small fracture into place. Though I'm not completely sure you injured yourself much by clashing heads with Naruto-not much up there," she chuckled while tapping her own head, noticing that she was rambling in order to compensate for nervousness.

"Nice bruise forming too. May I?" after all of her rambling, Gaara finally glanced in her direction. Another nod.

Her chakra glowed a soft green, and placed itself on his cheek. It only took a moment to heal the mark but Yumiko left her palm steady. Of course, it wasn't like she could move anyway-his gaze was… not frightening… but comfortable. When the doctor came in with fresh paperwork, it ruined the moment and Yumiko marched to gather the forms. The girl slammed the door forcefully behind the older man, feeling that her head would explode from frustration at any moment.

"My apologies, Gaara… I suppose there are more cowards on the earth than I thought," Yumiko smirked at that while scribbling down notes on the clipboard.

_Physical injuries:_

_Slight fracture to skull – _healed with patch

_Bruise located under right eye – _healed with chakra

_Swelled wrist, small scrapes on skin – _One-tailed demon healing to protect container

_Other injuries:_

_Exhaustion_

_Dehydration_

_Treatment:_

_Wrap wrist with regular chakra treatments for two days maximum_

_Rest 1 week_

_Increase fluid consumption_

"Well, as far as I can tell there's no serious damage. Though you will be kept here for a week so that you may rest and I can record your status. After that you're free to leave… That won't be a problem will it?"

"…What if I don't want to leave?" _'The hell does that mean?'_

"I'm not sure why, but I'm… reluctant… to return to Suna," Gaara tightened his grip on the sheets, not removing his eyes from his… _friend_?

"Hm… must be Naruto. He's got that effect on people, trust me."

Oddly enough, he couldn't believe that the blonde was what made him want to stay…

"Naruto! Wait up!" Yumiko called, dashing in the rain to reach her friend.

The Third's funeral had shaken him, causing his face to turn into a stone covered in tears and rain drops. She stopped then, refusing to clutch at her heart to show her own sadness. Her mission wasn't complete yet, after all…

_Flashback_

"As you can see, this day is not going to end well,"_ the Hokage _chuckled_; much to her disbelief as she let tears escape her._

"Do tell Naruto something for me… He will be the best Hokage this village has ever seen,"_ and she nodded frantically, controlling her whimper and digging her nails into her palms._

_End Flashback_

"Why don't we get out of this nasty weather?" Yumiko forced a grin, hooked her arm with his and they began the travel to his apartment.

It was unusually clean this time… an outlet, distraction? Either way, it did absolutely nothing for his state. Naruto trudged through his home, flinging down into a chair at his flimsy table, that they had shared many breakfasts at. He cradled his face in his hands and slumped over the furniture, Yumiko coming up behind him to place a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto, I'm so sorry… He meant a great deal to the village-and even greater to you. And he told me to tell you something, in case this happened," the girl began to feel her own tears seeping through her façade and her voice cracked.

The boy halted his weeping-well attempted to-to look up at his friend with curious eyes.

"He wanted you to know, that you will be the greatest Hokage the village has _ever_ seen!"

More tears, but these were of joy-still mixed with sorrow. It took a moment before she realized that Yumiko had finally lost the battle to the tears.

"And Naruto-can you… can you promise me something?" Furious nodding, tears flying about.

"If you _ever_ have the chance to kill Orochimaru-Do it," she deadpanned, happy that he would agree.

And after Yumiko left Naruto's apartment, she felt complete-whole. Her friends were safe, and the future was calling her. Even as she found a puppy-drenched completely from the day of rain-she promised herself and Ishiko-her new dog-that the world will change; for the better.


	5. Change

**Part 5**

**Change**

The days had started to grow longer, and Yumiko noticed how quickly the village dealt with the passing of the Third Hokage. Naruto, of course heartbroken, focused even more on his training. Sakura had also taken a more serious note to her training, and began volunteering at the hospital and spending her spare time in the library with medical books. And Sasuke… well he hadn't been the same since the beginning of the Chuunin exams; the girl had noticed. The rest of the village had taken to repairing the damage of Orochimaru, along with some Suna shinobi; which the older of the Sand Siblings had offered as a peace offering. The elders only counter offer at the moment was that they would help the Sand in any way possible in the future. However, Temari had merely asked for the healing of her youngest brother-which was currently being overseen by Yumiko. And at first, the two oldest weren't too thrilled with that…

_Flashback_

_Temari stormed into the hospital, eyes ablaze, and sternly 'asked' for the room her brother was being kept. The nurse on duty at the time began to stammer; trying to tell the blonde that visiting hours were over but was rudely interrupted by Temari's screaming voice _demanding_ to see the red-head. Yumiko was making her usual rounds and heard a disturbing commotion down the hall. She peeked around a corner and saw Kankuro attempting to calm his sister and apologize to the almost weeping nurse. _'Dear Kami, what the hell?' _but Yumiko began her short trek down the hall to ask what they were doing here._

"We could as you the same thing," _Kankuro retorted, shoving his hands in his pockets._

"Doesn't answer my question, though."

"We're here to see our brother-but we're having a little problem," _Temari huffed, and then glared at the women behind the counter which sent said women into a ball under a pile of papers._

"I was just about to check on him, actually. It's alright Jin-their brother is a particularly important patient," _Yumiko nodded to the girl cowering._

"Yes, Kyoto-sensei."

_Yumiko began to lead the way to Gaara's room, when she noticed that they were still standing by the front desk. Her brow quirked as she looked over her shoulder._

"'Sensei'?" _Temari questioned, a little stunned._

"Yes… I do have a higher authority here, and Gaara is only one of the patients I care for," _the girl explained, now even more confused as the look of total furry set on the two's faces._

"You care for Gaara? No! I **demand** another doctor!" _Temari glared, fists clenching and shoulders hunched._

"Temari, I'm afraid that I am the only one who will even think of stepping into his room. And he is already starting to remember-" 'Oh… shit…' _she thought, having caught herself far too late._

"He's remembering **what**?" _Kankuro questioned, leaning in closer and poised to kill._

'Oh well, cat's out of the bag, It was bound to happen sooner or later…' _and so she retold her past experiences with Gaara when they were younger, and reveled in the two's shocked faces when they remembered her, and their saddened look when they heard of her feelings about the monster, and separately about Gaara._

"He was my best friend, and he's trying to be again. I know that we have had… less than pleasant… encounters before-but I assure you that it was necessary for my mission. Gaara's making an effort to forgive and forget… and so am I. **Please**, allow me to help save your brother," _Yumiko bowed, and was surrounded by silence before she felt the light, yet tentative, hand on her shoulder._

_The girl's gaze shot up to meet the one of Gaara's sister, eyes glistening and mouth in a set line. Temari nodded, as did Kankuro. Yumiko was glad that she had received the permission of Gaara's sibling; as well as their new friendship._

_End Flashback_

Unfortunately, Yumiko was dragged into the Hokage's building to finish her paperwork-as her mission was now considered obsolete. The girl had no idea how much paper the Hokage had sifted through on a daily basis-sadly she now did. After an entire evening, the brunette girl poked her head over a disheveled desk with a folder in her hand; smiling triumphantly. The elders had explained to her that all she needed- or was allowed-to do, was sign the very first paper… but it was far too tempting to read the details.

_Shinobi assigned:_ Kyoto, Yumiko

_Rank:_ Shows Jōnin level abilities, Medical-nin

_Mission description:_ Suspicions of Akatsuki or other enemy organizations/shinobi to target young Jinchuriki attending Chuunin exams; Naruto Uzumaki (Kyuubi) & Sabaku no Gaara (Shukaku). Hokage requests protection of the two and suggests protector be around same age and enroll in Chuunin exams to ensure visual contact throughout a majority of the test- Hokage personally assigned shinobi previously mentioned in report.

Yumiko smiled as she read; skipping unimportant details, and went to close the folder to find a pen. Her finger traced the edge of the paper accidently, leaving a bright red line in its wake upon her finger. Yumiko hissed quietly, rearing back; dropping the folder in the process. As she tended to her finger, the girl bent down to pick up her mess, which had thankfully not spread too far during the descend. Yumiko began to scoop up the papers, but noticed some writing on the bottom of one sheet-she recognized it to be the Hokage's. Reports were printed; if he needed to add more information all he had to do was edit the paper and reprint. Her curiosity nagged again, and the girl snatched up the paper to take in the new information.

_Additional note:_ There seems to be a rough past between Gaara and Yumiko. My continued research indicates that Yumiko once resided in Suna during early years and left shortly after 27 year old Yashamaru was discovered dead. The Kyoto family was researched, and abilities discovered as well as cause of disappearance… Keep Yumiko and Gaara together; I fear both have been separated for far too long.

Yumiko's eyes widened, mouth opened, and arms went limp. So he had known… not everything of course-but he knew enough it seemed. While she was already on her knees, Yumiko couldn't help but feel like she was falling. Why didn't he say anything? Couldn't he tell that she had been completely paralyzed by the idea of meeting the monster? Didn't he know that the friend she had in Suna wasn't there anymore? The wetness on her face shocked her, and her hands immediately shot up to check herself. Tears… _'Damn it. Well now there are only two people who can make me cry,' _she ground out to herself, smirking. There was a knock at the door, followed by two distinct barks; which told her that it was her dog sitter for Ishiko. Kiba laughed as he opened the door, which only gave Yumiko a few seconds to compose herself.

"Yumiko-sama! It seems your Ishiko has a crush on Akam-are you alright?"

"Drop the formalities, please," Yumiko stood after gathering her papers and hastily finding a pen.

"Fine. Yumi-chan, are you alright?" he grinned cheekily.

"Don't use that nickname either, I hate that."

"Then why didn't you say anything to Naruto when he gave it to you?" she was extremely happy that the subject had changed, whether Kiba knew or not was beyond her.

"You know as well as I do that Naruto will do whatever he wants, even if I object."

"But you are one of the few girls in this village who can kick his ass," Kiba chuckled, picking up the two dogs he had cared for all day.

"Violence in _not_ a way to solve problems; though it is fun sometimes-to beat up Naruto," she added quickly, not wanting him to think that she was crazy.

Yumiko scribbled her name down on the first paper, finishing her business in the office. She clutched the folder for dear life, walking with her friends down the hall to drop of the documents to the elders. The girl remembered that she had forgotten to close the door, and quickly returned up the stairs alone to do so. She smiled at the memory of just a few months ago; her journey to this very same office with curiosity and excitement. She remembered the view out of the window, how peaceful it was… Yumiko glanced out the glass again; knowing that she would only be greeted with destroyed homes and stores and villagers trying to fix them. And she was; but she distinctly remembered that there was no red on that building a few hundred yards from her… Yumiko's eyes widened again when she finally registered that the bright red color was hair, and the pair of eyes that accompanied it was staring back at her. _'H-how long has he been there?'_ her expression was calm and friendly-even if her mind was reeling. The girl smiled and waved to the figure, who merely continued to watch her, and then took her leave after shutting the office door.

The poor girl was stuck for _six more hours_ with the elders; being asked if there was any information that she had disregarded during the mission-to which she replied that there was nothing except the obvious to report. The moon was beginning to peek over the horizon when she stepped out of the Hokage building, wanting to hurry to make her way back to the apartment complex. Yumiko was stunned to see her friends waiting for her, sitting on the grass and leaning on walls; obviously as bored as she had previously been. Kiba had returned to his dog caring duties after seeing that the girl would be held up, and had encouraged the rest of the boys to come and see Yumiko after such a stressful day. Chouji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and Rock Lee (fresh out of the hospital-again) all smiled happily at her, to which Yumiko was extremely grateful. Ishiko jumped into her arms and caused a huge grin to plaster itself on the fourteen year olds' face as the puppy licked and whined from separation.

"I hate those old farts," she droned, leaning on Chouji for support as she dramatically sagged as the group made their way down the dimly lit street-few people scattered here and there in the path.

"What did they do to you?" Shikamaru questioned with his arms behind his head as usual.

"No… It's too painful to relive," the boys chuckled, liking the overdramatic Yumiko for the evening as they entered Ichiraku's Ramen Bar.

"We are not going to go to the woods just so you can piss on a tree, Kiba," Shino deadpanned, surprising Yumiko while also amusing the entire group.

"What if I just wanted to go to the woods?" The dog boy asked; the young man had been hinting on exploring the trees since earlier at dinner and had been speaking of it ever since.

"I'll see you tomorrow, guys. I've had a difficult day," Yumiko sighed, wanting to return home to rest a bit-dying inside for solitude.

"Doing what?" Naruto snorted, not able to believe that her day was difficult in the least.

"Listening to young men fight is quite tiring… not to mention _boring_," Yumiko droned again, reaching down to pet Ishiko as the two walked in the direction of her apartment.

More than thankful that it was only a few blocks away, Yumiko threw the door open and slammed shut it behind her. Locking the door was the farthest thing from her mind, and she knew that Ishiko would make a racket if someone unwanted entered in the midst of the night. Said dog curled her body next to Yumiko's and rested her snout on the girl's neck, her whiskers tickling her cheek. The girl settled in the sheets, not bothering at all to change her clothing because of her fatigue. She closed her eyes and readied herself for a well needed rest; well the few hours of rest she received when Ishiko yelped directly into her ear.

"Fuck!" the brunette shouted, clutching her head while shooting up and out of her bedding.

She was immediately on edge; twisting and turning her body around to view each corner of her dark apartment. A hiss, coming from her right; she presumed, and quickly pivoted to strike. Was it Orochimaru's summon coming for revenge? Fearing that it was, Yumiko drew her kunai and shot out. She felt her arm covered in a rough substance, followed by a slight crushing feel. This caused her eyes to widen even more; only this time from surprise and not fright. The kunai dropped from her hand; clanging to the floor and the light next to her bed was flipped on-not by her…

"Kami! Gaara, what're you _doing_ here? It's two in the morning!" she shouted, after taking in a large breath to steady herself-eyeing the sand as it slid from her outstretched arm and towards its master.

"I wanted to see you," the sand retracted while Gaara leaned against the wall, his gourd beside him on the floor.

"Hilarious… Be serious," Yumiko deadpanned, while rubbing her wrist to relieve the stiffness the tension caused a moment ago.

"I am."

"Did… Did you have something to tell me?"

"No, I merely wanted to see you sleep," the red head pushed his form from the wall and towards the wooden and worn chair across the room.

She smirked, following his movements throughout the small apartment. He had been released from the hospital three days ago, and was still unwilling to leave Konoha-to much dismay of his siblings. Gaara had healed miraculously-no surprise… But that made her even more nervous, and suspicious of what Shukaku was capable of.

"So you're stalking me? Or do you just like to push the boundaries of a friendship?" he was silent.

Though she did understand why he would be curious. The only time his eyes closed was when he was unconscious… and even then he would not be rested from having his energy and body used by Shukaku. Simulated meditation was quite different from sleep, and not nearly as satisfying.

"How long have you been here?"

"Only about five minutes. If I hadn't placed my gourd down the dog wouldn't have heard me," she rose a brow, then glanced back to the small dog; whom was quivering at the farthest corner of her bed.

"Some guard dog you are, I think some training is going to be arranged with Kiba soon… Well, since I'm awake; would you like to talk?" Yumiko questioned, pulling the sheets up on her bed to ready it for the day.

"What?"

"I couldn't possibly sleep when company is over. What sort of hostess would that make me?" she inquired, snatching up the small dog and bringing her squirming body closer to the red head.

"Talking is something I'm not used to…"

Ishiko was thrashing frantically in Yumiko's arms as they neared Gaara. Pissed off, the girl held her as still as possible, grasping her muzzle in one hand while squeezing her sides with the other, and gave her a stern look saying,

"Now _**stop it**_. Gaara _won't_ hurt you," she slowly stretched out her hand towards the boy, ushering him to place his hand on hers.

Gaara's arms were crossed over his chest, as he stared at the offering. Was she foolish enough to trust him now? Taking a step in the right direction was far more difficult than that. Yumiko's hand was steady like her gaze. Of course her fear was deep, she really had no idea how Shukaku would react to this offering. But maybe this would be a small step, so small it might not even be considered one. As he looked closer, it seemed that Yumiko was giving Gaara an almost pleading look. One he remembered from their childhood, when they were friends… perhaps she needed this one insignificant move to prove that the one she knew then was still there somewhere. Still edgy, Gaara slowly unraveled his arms and reached out; surprising himself when he saw the shaking. Their skin touched, and Yumiko took it as a signal to continue. Her fingers wrapped around his, and gently pulled forward. His body followed a step before he felt the softness of the puppy beneath his fingers. Yumiko guided his hand for a moment and pet the animal before releasing his hand and began to speak to Ishiko.

"See? He's not bad… like a big teddy bear," she smirked, remembering their favorite toy.

"It's been a while since we've spoken like this… Could…could you tell me what…what happened after I left?"

An interesting enough conversation; which lasted until sunrise. Yumiko was impressed that she had managed to stay awake for the entirety of it; and even more impressed that Gaara had taken a liking to Ishiko and pet her for most of the night. The young dog had curled against his leg that he had perched onto the bed early that night. And the nightly visits went on for another week or so, a different topic each night-but still pertaining to the same thing; past. His past, her past, family, missions-anything the two could feel comfortable speaking to the other about. One day, Yumiko had been called to the hospital in the middle of a short conversation with the red-head.

"Alright, what's the problem?" the girl asked the head nurse as she walked through the front doors.

"The Akatsuki infiltrated the village this morning-attacking Naruto and Sasuke. They fought back and-"

"What!? Give me the room numbers," she glared, snatching the papers from the woman and rushing to the stairs.

'_28, 28, 28,' _she chanted to herself, hoping that the blonde was awake. Brownish grains flashed by her figure and appeared near the end of the hall she was sprinting down. Yumiko slowed as she came closer to Gaara and room 28, praying over and over in her head that Naruto was still in one piece. The door slid open, and Yumiko took a tentative step inside and slowly glided to the white separator. Gaara followed, shutting the door and watching the girl intensely. She fisted the material and jerked it back, revealing a complete idiotic smile-but at least it was intact. Yumiko dashed to his side and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yumiko-chan! What are-" _**THWACK!**_

"OUCH! What the hell!?" Naruto asked, after being rudely interrupted by the brunette's solid smack across his face; she was pleased with the red outline of her hand.

"You deserved it. Who do you think you are? Challenging the Akatsuki-foolish!" Yumiko scoffed, taking the seat that Gaara had placed behind her form.

"G-Gaara, you're still here?" Naruto questioned-manners still completely irrelevant to the boy-Gaara nodded, and stood to the left of the brunette, his hand grasping the back of her chair.

"I hope you're happy, because now you're going to spend an entire week in this horrid place-with nothing but their equally dreadful food and no entertainment," Yumiko smiled triumphantly at the disbelief casted over the face of her friend covered in hospital sheets and bandages.

"Are you kidding me?!" to which the girl laughed and leaned back in the chair, waiting to here the story of the battle from her friend, Gaara waiting patiently next to her.

Karma is a total bitch-the queen of bitchiness… Yumiko was assigned extra duties at the hospital, working all day and night for five days. Her duties were to tend to Naruto-since she was really the only one who would tolerate his behavior… well at least she knew how to handle it. Ishiko would wait patiently for her in the break room and escort her back to her rooms after she was finished. Gaara would again wait for her, but sadly the girl was far too tired for their usual talks. Yumiko would never tell Gaara to leave, however. She would open the door, knowing that it would have been unlocked by the red-head, and toss any items off of her person and onto the floor as she trekked to her bed. Hellos would be exchanged and she would give a tired smile before asking if he required anything to eat or drink. After the negative response, Yumiko would nod and continued to worm under the blankets for a much needed sleep. Gaara had become her protector she thought, watching her as she slept to be sure that she awoke in the morning to the sight of Gaara cuddling Ishiko… She didn't know it, but he considered himself to be too.

Her last day of strenuous labor ended at around eleven o'clock at night and Naruto had thankfully gone home that morning. Yumiko jerked her small pack onto her shoulders and made her way to the hospital gates. Ishiko bound beside her, but suddenly went frigid. Yumiko froze with her, and gave a curious gaze. No one was near, but who was she to distrust a dog's senses at this time of night? The only light came from the moon; as many villagers would already be in bed by this time.

"What is it Ishiko?" the young dog whipped her head down the street, and sprinted off with her owner on her heels.

They were making their way to the academy, she noted. The empty streets and quiet store fronts gave no hint of danger, but Ishiko seemed to be on a trial. A turn caused the two to head towards the main gates, and another curve went to Ichiraku's Ramen Bar. She turned left down an ally minutes later, which Yumiko was more than hesitant to enter. The last time she came rushing down one of those she was kidnapped. Before reaching the entrance, she skidded to a stop. Ishiko was stopped before a group of trash cans, growling and poised to jump. She eased towards the dog while drawing her weapon. Not a preferable hiding spot for an enemy, but she supposed that it was a last minute hide when they saw the tall fence at the end of the ally. Yumiko squinted to see in the dim light, and finally threw the cans to the side; the clanging not disturbing the young dog in the least. The brunette braced for a fight, but only stared into a pair of bright yellow eyes. _'Cat…'_ the creature hissed in her direction and took off down the wall and onto the streets. Huffing, Yumiko placed her hands on her hips and sent a glare to her dog.

"Ishiko, you have taken me all over this village-to chase down a cat… I'm going home," she deadpanned while ushering the dog to follow.

As she turned a powerful gust of wind came at her from behind. Yumiko halted, as did her companion. Lucky to still have her weapon, the brunette whirled around and swiped at the presence behind her-but she hit nothing. Her mind reeled and her eyes widened… She could have sworn that she felt breathing on the back of her neck, and a horrible smirk… Yumiko's breathing was ragged from the scare and she jumped when Ishiko rubbed against her leg to leave the ally quickly. A check of her surroundings told the girl that whoever-or whatever-it was, was long gone now. The long commute to her apartment was quiet and caused her to be even more paranoid. She quickly dashed up the steps, hoping that she wouldn't make much noise to wake her neighbors. The door was unlocked as usual, and she hoped that Gaara would forgive her for being extremely late. Her feet crossed the threshold and she went through her usual routine, forgetting to say hello to her friend and skipping to the part where she passed out. Yumiko's hair spread around her head; she felt completely at ease, until she felt like she was being _observed_. Eyes shooting open, she was greeted by four pairs of eyes instead of the usual sea foam colored; though that pair was included. Instinct took charge and her hands flew to her head to grasp the pillow in her fingers.

"What the hell!?" Yumiko screeched while thrashing the pillow around, slapping heads and anything in her wake.

Chouji and Kiba struggled to grab her arms, managing to pin them down onto the bed while Shikamaru dodged her kicking feet.

"Stop-stop-stop-stop!" the dog-nin ordered, Ishiko too preoccupied with Gaara to help her owner.

Yumiko halted her movements as the light flicked on. The red head stood to the side of the bed petting her companion, Chouji and Kiba holding her arms solidly to the bedding, and Shikamaru doing the same with her legs. The two shinobi closest to her had party hats strapped onto their heads and idiotic grins plastered on their faces. Taking several deep breathes to calm herself; Yumiko jerked her arms away from the two and looked around the room.

"Again-what the hell?" she rubbed her head to sooth the oncoming headache.

"Surprise!" Shikamaru shouted-half-heartedly after the rest of the inhabitants of the room had removed themselves from hiding.

"Kind of explains why the streets seemed so ghost-like this evening… Was that why Ishiko ran after a _cat_? To keep me from coming home early?" enthusiastic nods.

And the party continued; Kiba and Lee ended up spending the entire night playing DJ, while Chouji, Naruto, and Shikamaru ate everything in sight. The girls; Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and even Temari gossiped and flirted with the local Shinobii-well Hinata simply watched and made polite conversation as she constantly sought out a certain blonde young man. Kankuro and Gaara spent the party outside, chatting. Yumiko would split her time with each section of the party, leaving the two brothers with a substantial amount of time to speak to each other. This was probably the first time that the two had ever spoken to each other in a calm setting such as this. Temari was very polite to Yumiko and easily became her friend-their time was used to speak of past events and life lessons. The brunette would occasionally let her eyes wander around the celebration and tried to keep down a flush as her orbs locked with the red-head's a time or two.

As Yumiko escorted the large group of ninja out of her temporary home, Ishiko and Gaara made themselves comfortable. The young woman was confused when Temari sent a smirk and wink her way as she descended down the staircase. The door latched loudly in the silence and the brunette let out a laughing sigh as she softly placed her head on the old worn wood. Ishiko yipped at her owner from across the room, panting at the satisfaction from being showered with attention from Gaara.

"I needed that… Thanks," Yumiko grinned at her companions as she made her way to her bed.

"Good tactic though, on distracting me… But you didn't have to breathe down my back, Gaara-that was _really_ unsettling," she giggled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I was here helping your friends get ready," silence followed, along with a feeling of dread from Yumiko.

Someone was watching her then, but why?

"Are you alright?" her friend asked from his chair, Ishiko sleeping on his lap.

"Um-yeah. Just a long day is all," Yumiko swallowed, fearing for her safety as well as her friend's.

But that seemed ridiculous, seeing as how her friend that sat across from her was one of the most feared people in the world. And he was showing great improvement too, opening up about his past and his struggles after her departure. A smile tugged at her lips as the brunette leaned against her pillows to find a more comfortable position for speaking.

"You've really changed…"

"What?" Gaara feared her assessment. Changed how?

"From that time, after the attack," her voice faded, feeling the stabbing of the memory herself.

"Hn," was his only reply as he changed his attention to the puppy in his lap.

"You-you shut me out, after that… Why? You know I was there for you, _with_ you even," Yumiko's insides burned in anticipation to hear his reasoning.

"Yashamaru was the only person that ever loved me-or at least I thought he was. After that night, I thought 'What am I, now that I'm not loved?' And I realized the monster I really was. No one should have to be near such a thing…"

"But I-" Yumiko was interrupted by her companion.

"Yumiko, I loved you."

'_Wh-what?' _"Wh-what?" she was stunned, feeling her mouth drop slightly.

Her eyes had grown larger, not to the size of dinner plates-but they were getting there. The disbelief was showing with stutters, coughs, and questions. Since when had the girl's intuition led her to believe the wrong thing? Love? There had been friendship yes, a strong friendship-one that the Gods would be jealous of, one of understanding, fear, comfort, laughter, tears… maybe it had been deeper than she remembered.

"And I think I still do," Gaara continued, "Is… that alright?" he questioned, frightened more of this silence than his own monster within.

She laughed at her own foolishness. How blind was she to not notice what had been in front of her?

"Yes, yes it's-it's perfectly alright."

Gaara's breath released, and he had not realized it was being held within him. A weight lifted from his shoulders and a tug of a smile crept onto his pale face, reaching his ghostly eyes. Kankuro had been so right…

_Flashback_

_The two sand brothers were leaning against the railing of the apartment terrace. Gaara's view was torn between the calm night of Konoha to his childhood friend just in the next room. Kankuro would grin when he noticed his younger sibling shift to keep continual vision of Yumiko; then Gaara would notice he was in public and return his view to the village. The black clad boy smirked and nudged the red head._

"Someone's caught in a spell," _Kankuro chuckled, enjoying his brother squirm ever so slightly._

"Quiet," _Gaara hissed, not understanding the meaning of this 'spell'._

"She likes you too, you know?"

_Gaara let out a questioning noise, urging his brother to continue his explanation. How could Yumiko hold the same feelings as he? And how did Gaara regain the same fluttering sensation in his stomach from long ago, when he was a child and would meet Yumiko on their swing? Maybe it was the way she carried herself when faced with danger, her intelligent and witty remarks, her mental and physical strength, her smile, or possibly the way her nose twitches when she's angry, that twinkle in her eye that always happens when they lock with Ishiko's and sometimes his own…_

_Kankuro grinned stupidly at his brother's silence and longing gaze aimed towards the young woman._

"You should just tell her-I mean do you really think she _won't_ return your feelings?"

_End Flashback_

It was a good thing he was right, because if he wasn't Gaara would surely kill Kankuro that very evening. A small yawn slipped by Yumiko's lips, and she released a whimper of sleepiness. Gaara smirked at that, even through her work filled weeks she still spoke with him at the dead of night. With gentle hands he placed Ishiko, whom was already fast asleep, onto the corner of the mattress. Yumiko began attempting to rub the tiredness from her auburn orbs, only to find it in vein. The red head rose from the chair and moved closer to his companion, she took note of his soft mist filled eyes and how closer they were edging. Her smile had returned, and Yumiko could feel her eyes drift closed as the closeness of the red head registered. _'Close,' _she hummed, actually _hummed_ at the thought. And as a breath that was not her own tickled her nose, she withdrew from her fantasy. Yumiko placed her hands on his chest halting his path and drawing him back to reality as well.

"Gaara, I-I'm still… processing all of this and-It's not that I-" and she was again interrupted by his calming tone.

"Don't worry. You're cautious, I like that," and he continued his earlier path, landing a soft kiss on the girl's cheek.

Then he was gone, in a swirl of sand and heart in his hands-metaphorically; and the following day the sand siblings departed for Suna, with Gaara still holding her heart.

It was another two weeks before Naruto and Jiraiya returned with the new Hokage. The news reached Yumiko at the village library, buried in any public information that dealt with Sasuke's questioning seal she had found during his latest examination. In fact, it was Sasuke's teammate that loudly announced their return.

"Yumiko! We're back!" Naruto screamed as he burst through the library doors, knocking over stacks of books in the process.

The librarian hissed from her perch at the front desk, warning the loud obnoxious blonde behind thick rimmed glasses. Naruto pouted and sent her an awful gesture, to which Yumiko snickered and then returned to her reading.

"Come on! You've gotta meet granny," Naruto urged, grinning stupidly and tugging the girl from her seat.

Yumiko did not put up much of a fight. She did indeed wish to see her old sensei again, after all these years a good dose of Tsunade would do her good. Naruto was still clueless about her past relationships, and continually rambled on and on about the new Hokage to the brunette. Through the streets of Konoha everyone was buzzing as usual, shopping, laughing, working. And the children were playing in the streets and chatting about school. Yumiko wondered what kind of leader Tsunade would be, especially with the children of the village. She was a warrior, not a babysitter. While the two clambered up the stairs of the Hokage building, Yumiko couldn't help but feel the sadness. Ishiko, who had been slinking beside her owner, nudged her leg to keep her moving. There was no time to waste, an angry Tsunade was dangerous. So in the three went, opening the door to see the new Hokage speaking with Shizune and gazing out the large windows. The small pig Tonton burst out from under the oak desk, bounding into the awaiting arms of Yumiko. Of the group, the small pink one had always been the girl's favorite, and following would be Shizune and then Tsunade-in that order. Ishiko's stance screamed protection and defense, and the girl set Tonton before the puppy with a _plop_. Sniffs were exchanged as well as some hard glares, and then happy yips and snorts.

"Well good, now that that's settled," Yumiko huffed and continued her path to the desk before her.

"It's nice to see you again," Tsunade grunted, turning her attention to the brunette and tossing a fountain pen in Yumiko's general direction.

Naruto gasped, flinching at the sight of the sharp point flying towards Yumiko's eye. It was caught at the last possible moment by her own fingers, and the girl smirked with confidence. Tsunade grinned and leaned against her desk, proud of the girl's move and even more satisfied with Naruto's reaction. Yumiko placed the writing utensil back in its place, nodding to Shizune with a smile.

"As always," the girl rolled her eyes, then continued "There's… something we should talk about… in private," her gaze shifted to Naruto who began to pout.

"Awww! But I was-"

"Now, Naruto," Tsunade hissed, glaring at the blonde and pointing to the door across the room.

And the boy sulked away, exiting the room while muttering profanities to the older woman. Shizune slammed the door behind him with a broad smile and began to greet Yumiko. During her younger years, Yumiko had only met Shizune once, and that was when she and her sensei had decided to move on with her training. Tsunade had been one of many teachers over the past seven years in Yumiko's life, and one of the toughest; but since the girl was still alive it meant that she was obviously capable of handling such a feat.

"I guess you've seen to Sasuke then," the Sannin nodded grimly, "So now what?"

"_Now_, we set on the defense. There are guards at every hospital entrance and the surrounding area… What little we can spare with the reconstruction and all," Tsunade tiredly explained, attempting to wipe the frustration off of her façade.

"Well count me in," Yumiko volunteered whilst making her way to the closed door.

"But first…" Tsunade coaxed her back in to the office, "What's this I hear about your long lost childhood?" she asked while waving the oh-too-familiar file between them.

'_Ohhhh shit…'_

It was later that night that Sasuke was reported missing from the hospital, and a young and frantic Sakura rushed into the Hokage's office in tears. And as soon as it came to light that Sasuke had indeed left the village on his own accord, the new leader of the village sprang into action. Shikamaru was immediately called forth, and instructed with the dangerous mission of retrieving him. And as Yumiko began to follow the newly ranked Chuunin to the front gates, Tsunade halted her movements.

"You're with me for a few hours. Lee's waiting," and Yumiko let out a whimper of disappointment.

Tsunade would need extra assistance in the surgery with Lee, and while she did have Shizune with her, _all_ available help was needed. The three medics rushed into the operation room along with another team of doctors, and it would be a long and stressful evening for them. And as Yumiko watched and assisted, she couldn't help the fear that crept upon her and the tears that edged from her eyes. This would be the most painful two hours she had ever experienced in her life as of yet.

_***~*~*~*~*Two Hours Later*~*~*~*~***_

After wiping the sweat from their brows, the medics exited with smiles on their faces. All had gone well, and Lee would be up and moving within the next half hour with medical enhancement. And Yumiko would go to follow the retrieval team, taking Ishiko from her apartment to track them. And at the gates, Shizune shouted at her to wait and dashed to her side.

"We're going to need any info on what you see. Here," and she handed the girl a wireless radio.

"Use this, we want locations if there's anything serious," a map was exchanged, letters corresponding to the number grid system.

"Anything else?" the young brunette was impatient now, edging closer and closer to the village gate with her dog beside her.

"_WAIT!_" Lee's voice vibrated the ground as he came across the horizon.

Before Shizune could intervene, the two people and puppy took off through the trees as fast as possible. The girl was constantly checking her shoulder for the green ninja, worried for his condition. Would the surgery pose an issue this early? Lee was showing no signs of fatigue by the first half of their journey and his façade portrayed only determination until their first discovery. Chōji was found leaning against a tree surrounded by crushed boulders and rubble. The enemy had been defeated, painfully so in fact-crushed and as crumbled as the ground around him. After successfully finding his pulse, Yumiko transmitted the location, C3 and urged Lee to continue on without her for a moment. And she left the boy in the most comfortable state she could muster. About twenty minutes later Ishiko suddenly changed course to find Neji just behind a huge cluster of trees. She about scolded herself for not sensing him, but after closer investigation Yumiko realized that his chakra reserves were almost completely diminished. The Hyūga's life was hanging by a thread and the young brunette struggled immensely to stabilize him. Her attention didn't stray to the villain dead a few yards away-he was unimportant. The young girl's voice couldn't help but crack when their position, G5, was confirmed.

They continued on, Ishiko leading the way with a worried Yumiko behind her. If the first two looked like that she was terrified to see what was to come. The girl was catching up with the head of the group, because she sensed Kiba and Akamaru's chakras as well as another familiar one. She poked over the edge of a nearby cliff to inspect the situation; a badly wounded pup was huddled in Kiba's arms-whom was also wounded. And defending them was a large boy with purple markings and clad in black. Yumiko had never been so happy to see Kankuro than she had then. The sand-nin noticed her presence and gave a nod, signaling that the situation was taken care of, though the enemy was still pursuing. The young girl still sent in the coordinates, E8. And she was off again. This time following the sound of crushing wood and slicing wind. If the Sand were here then Temari was surely not too far off. And by the time the two arrived, Temari and Shikamaru were setting their pace towards the village-Temari supporting a leaning and chakra drained Shikamaru. The boy explained that Naruto was the last to continue on, and that the blonde had left only minutes before.

Yumiko dashed into a clearing after some running and came upon a disoriented Lee. And it was surprising how well he was doing. Ishiko stood by, and then yipped at her owner to drag their attention to an empty sake bottle. _'__**Annnd**__, fuck me…'_ Yumiko cursed inwardly, and flinched at the sight of Lee bending in impossible ways. She had only a small amount of chakra left from healing Chōji and Neji, so she had to spread it out carefully. The sound of skin being slashed drew out the inner medic, and before Yumiko knew it, she was at Lee's side and attempting to heal him. Kimimaro began his trek towards Naruto's path, but paused as he heard the green ninja's ascent.

"Wait, _Lee!_" the brunette hissed, failing to grasp the jumpsuit and drag him to the ground.

He had sobered up, thankfully, but that did nothing when Kimimaro deflected Lee's kick and sent him flying backwards again. Yumiko caught him and shielded him as best she could, glaring at the man before them. The pale man lunged with his bone protruding from skin, and Yumiko did as well with her chakra infused kunai. A field of brow grains obstructed her path and even pushed her backwards. She attempted to spin her body so that it wouldn't collide with Lee, but found it useless. Instead of a body, the girl collided with a soft patch of sand and was greeted by the youngest sand sibling.

"It's about damn time you showed," Yumiko laughed while being pulled upwards by the young man, "Shizune, we're at J9-Better send in some major backup," she finished, bringing out a specialized blade from her pouch.

'_Perseverance is better than defeat,'_ she read the inscription on the tanto blade and thanked her sensei's spirit for giving her this gift. The battle commenced, with Gaara's ultimate defense protecting the three ninja. And even through the Sand-nin's most powerful attacks the man wouldn't die. And it was beginning to worry the young woman. Her chakra was slowly depleted from the few close range hits she could manage. But each time Gaara's sand would immediately drag her backwards. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Gaara crushed Kimimaro under two hundred meters of the grainy earth and declared the battle over. Yumiko's senses were still acute from the lengthy battle and heard the faint shuffle of sand a few hundred meters away. Just as the first syllable of Gaara's name left her person, Yumiko, Lee, and Gaara were suspended on a patch of sand, pushing the red head to his own chakra limits. The girl glanced over the edge of the landing and gazed over the extensive array of bones protruding from the ground.

"_**It's not brainwashing. It's all my own reasoning. What the hell would you know?!" **_came the screaming last words of Kimimaro as he reared back for the attack.

The sight of the large spiraling bone aimed for the Sand-nin moved Yumiko without her registering it. It also brought out verbal response.

"_**No!**_" and it was the most high pitched shriek she had ever heard from her own being.

In that moment, Yumiko had placed herself between the bone weapon and Gaara, taking the blow through her lower back, just missing her spinal column-which she amazingly took note of before loosing her vision. Misty green, wide, eyes were looking up at the pale face of Yumiko-in utter shock that she did such a thing. Lee was frantic and pulling the girl from the weapon-who's wielder was now dead.

She shot upwards at the sound of insane beeping and was greeted by white walls and the smell of a strong cleaner. _'Hospital. I'm in a hospital,' _Yumiko mused while removing the sheets around her person. Clothing was beside the bed in a wooden chair, which she gladly traded for the pale green hospital gown. In the midst of untying the stubborn bow at the back of her neck, a cough interrupted her. Yumiko whipped around with a gasp, only to stop her inner scream when she saw only Gaara. Then it hit her that he was about to watch her change.

"Nice to know that your brother has rubbed off on you," she mused aloud while pulling the separator between them.

"How are you?" his voice boomed through the curtain, momentarily distracting the girl from her wrapped stomach and aching back.

"Could be better. How are the others?" the curtain flew back as she tied her hair up with one hand.

"Tsunade stated they'd make a full recovery," he explained whilst following the short girl out of the pale room.

"So how're you feeling?" she paused her question to stretch her limbs, then continued, "You're chakra was pretty low, last I remember. How long was I out for anyway?"

"Nothing Shukaku can't handle. It's been three days," and he continued to explain the days she missed due to recovery.

"Which brings me to this question; Why'd you stay? Shouldn't you be back in Suna?-Not that I-_want_ you to go or anything it's just-" the uncharacteristic chuckle shook her nerves.

"How could I leave without a goodbye?"

"Wow, so instructor huh? Any students yet?" Yumiko probed while walking Gaara to the front gate to meet his siblings.

"No," which at the time wasn't surprising because of the aura he still emitted.

"_Soooo_, I suppose I'll see you again," Yumiko dragged once they reached their destination.

"I suspect so," and she lunged for a hug.

It surprised Temari and Kankuro that he returned it, warily-but returned the hug all the same. And after a few moments the two pulled away from one another, Yumiko smiling and fighting to keep her blush down. Shikamaru and the girl watched the three Sand-nin disappear over the horizon, just as Shizune and Tonton rushed to Yumiko's side-Ishiko in tow-to inform her of a new mission she was assigned.


	6. Last Chance

**Part 6**

**Last Chance**

Two and a half years had passed since Naruto left on his journey with Jiraiya, and Yumiko had been assigned to Takigakure to aide the medical branch in the village-which was sorely lacking. The young woman was finally ending her travel back to Konoha, Ishiko walking beside her and picking up her pace when she saw her old home. It shook Yumiko to think that-seeing as how she hadn't seen her small cottage in almost three years. Her headband that was tied to her upper thigh morphed into Konoha's symbol as she stepped through the gates, and Yumiko couldn't help but smile. Upon passing through the large wooden doors, the teen turned her attention to the two shinobi inside of the booth. Izumo and Kotetsu were busy filling out paperwork and snoozing-respectively. The brunette girl leaned onto the counter, observing the two.

"Still at the gate I see," Yumiko smiled when Izumo jumped three feet in the air.

"Wow… Yumiko? Gods, look at you!" Kotetsu was jostled awake by his partner's commotion.

She had changed over the years, but who hadn't? The teen was taller-only slightly, coming in at _just_ five feet-and had matured more. Hair was untied and her attire had changed; an innocent black and grey corset top with a sheer neck and matching three quarter sleeves. There was a red pouch holstering her weapons on the side of an armored skirt and red gloves that glided onto her hands. And the skirt was dark as well, shorter than the knees. Yumiko owned a pair of tall dark brown boots, which had been perfectly worn by now and stopped just at the tops of her knees. Ishiko had grown as well, her white fur darkening a bit, her snout and ears pointed, puppy teeth long gone. The dog was now tall enough to just reach Yumiko's hip; her puppy like energy still lingered though. (I'll post a picture of the outfit on my profile if I can.)

"Yeah, well, you guys aren't too bad yourselves," she joked, sending a wink to the still sleepy Kotetsu and they all shared a laugh.

"Naruto back yet?" the teen questioned, unconsciously shifting her gaze to the Hokage monument.

'_Oh, Tsunade's finally up,' _she grinned stupidly at the change.

"He just went that way," Izumo pointed down the street towards Ichiraku's, and it wasn't too surprising to the teen, who rolled her eyes and thanked the two.

Yumiko strolled through the village, taking in the changes and thankful that there weren't many to note. Children dashed into the Ramen shop from the Academy, Iruka following and yelling for them to slow. She smiled at the instructor, but then frowned when Naruto was not seen. Teuchi yelled a greeting to her, which she returned happily. Ishiko sniffed and whined, hungry from their journey and dying for a snack. A sigh left the teen as she shuffled through her side pack and drew out a red candy, tossing it to the canine. Her partner yipped excitedly and continued towards the Hokage's tower, Yumiko following while glancing around her. Where was Naruto? She'd been excited to hear about his return in Tsunade's letter-also excited hearing that her mission in Takigakure was officially complete by the Fifth's standards.

'_Just fill out some paperwork and I'll be back home,' _Yumiko whispered to herself-dreaming of her humble cottage and also dreading the dust and cobwebs she'd need to clean. The brunette all but floated up the stairs to Tsunade's office, not bothering to knock or be formal in the least. A surprise greeted her; a tall orange clad blonde smiling like an idiot, about to be slapped by an angry pink haired woman who seemingly grew from nothing. Kakashi was leaning in from the window, face buried in another Icha Icha novel. Shikamaru was also there, proudly wearing his flak jacket but looking bored all the same. Tonton snorted and leapt from Shizune's arms to say hello to Ishiko, who had met the pig half way. Yumiko was especially surprised to see the pom-pom hair style she had bashed in the Chuunin exams all those years ago, and it showed in her eyes.

"Holy shit and no one invited me to this party?" the brunette stated sauntering into the room and adding a pleasant 'Hi,' at the end.

"Yumiko!" Naruto screamed and nearly knocked her down with his bond crushing hug, which she returned with a little less vigor.

Tsunade grinned at the sight of all the shinobi gathered around her, explaining how they all missed one another and planning to get together later to share stories. Unfortunately, that wouldn't last too long.

"Well, now that you've all checked in, I need to speak with Miss Kyoto alone," and as per-usual Naruto groaned, telling Yumiko that he'd never _really _change.

The blonde Hokage led the brunette teen to the rooftops, nodding to personnel on the way and signing off on papers and ranting about her paper-filled day. Once the door was closed behind her, Yumiko felt the chill of the wind and began to worry about this "mission debriefing". They could see Ishiko running outside to pounce on a returning Kiba and a growing Akamaru, Shino patting her head to calm her. Yumiko laughed, but it was flushed out by the wind and Tsunade's serious gaze.

"You know of Sunagakure's new Kazekage, correct?"

"Well, yes and no. Yes, they have one. No, I do not know who it is," Yumiko clarified, turning to shove her back to the ledge and view the Hokage monument.

"You're about to. I've assigned you to protection detail," the teen physically twitched, choking on the breath she had just taken.

"Excuse me? What do you mean 'protection detail'? I thought I was relieved!"

"Stop whining, you're the only one I can trust on this one," Tsunade scolded, crossing her arms.

"Why the hell does the Kazekage need protection?"

"We've recently received some intel that the Akatsuki have been closing in on the Land of Wind."

"Flushing out the Jinchūriki? Not a bad tactic," Yumiko mused playfully-the only thing keeping her stomach content down.

"When do I leave?" she caved, no use arguing with the 60 year old.

Protecting the Kazekage would ensure that leadership in Suna is protected-meaning the Jinchūriki would be safe. Yumiko would need to steer clear of the red head-no time for distraction in this dangerous mission.

"Now would be nice," Tsunade urged, signaling Yumiko to leap from the roof and land before her returning friends, only to say goodbye again.

She'd need supplies for the journey, and it had to be quick if she wanted to make a timely appearance. While rummaging through the shelves and other materials, Yumiko's blood pumped through her veins as fast as racehorses. Ishiko panted near the counter, entertaining the clerk's twenty something year old son and giving his granddaughter a ride on her back. Twenty minutes in there-fifteen minutes more than what Yumiko wanted-and they were out the door, racing towards large green gates and the matching watch post.

"Leaving so soon?!" Kotetsu yelled to the teen, who was kicking up dust.

"Mission! _Again!_"

She became sidetracked on her way to Suna, realizing that the path to her parents' village was just to her left. Ishiko followed, the loyal dog she is, without any protesting. Memories of Diaki carrying a tiny little defenseless six year old through the same trees and onto the large grassy plain, littered with stones and charred wood, flooded her vision along with her tears. Yumiko smoothed down her windblown hair and made the short trek to her cabin. It had weathered over the years, but was still standing strong and over to the east were the headstones of her family. Ishiko showed immediate interest in the rocks and was sniffing them and whimpering by the time her owner made it over. The teen cried for the first time in years and vaguely realized that each time she did in the past, it was over the family she missed or wished she knew.

_***~*~*~*~*Two Days Later*~*~*~*~***_

Yumiko rested in her old home before starting her journey into the desert. She regretted it after hours of walking under the hot sun, surrounded by yellow loose ground and cacti scattered here and there. The soft bedding and familiarity of the cottage soothed her being- diminishing the teen's hard exterior towards the elements. Ishiko fared well enough, a little upset with the ground slipping beneath her paws, but she was oddly calm. As the giant wall came into view, a sinking feeling came upon her and she almost turned around. But her duty was too large to ignore so she pressed on, flashing her identity card to the line of Jōnin guarding the entrance to her nightmare. Her black band had morphed into the Suna symbol miles back, and she was already beginning to miss Konoha. After the trek to the end of the tunnel, Ishiko and Yumiko halted-looking out into the great unknown. A heavy breath and the vision of Tsunade screaming and pounding her into the ground for being so frightened pushed her forward and into the hot desert sun.

The village was similar to Konoha in layout and friendly faces; this eased her nerves while moving towards the Kazekage office. The villagers buzzed around her, smiling and laughing, and the children fresh out of school running to the playground-which was no different from a giant sand box. Yumiko was paying little attention to her path and only returned to it after receiving a small bump in her leg. A small girl, no older than six had landed on her rear end, scraping her hands from impact with the ground. Ishiko hovered over her, the huge shadow darkening the child's tan complexion even more. The teen's mind reeled, and she automatically lowered herself to the child's level, hands working franticly.

"I am _so_ sorry, sweetie. I wasn't paying attention and now you've got this," she gestured to the scraped hands and went to healing them. "Here, have this-It'll make me feel better," Yumiko winked while handing over a piece of blue hard candy.

"Th-thanks. I'm Emiko," the sweet child introduced herself and then popped the candy in her mouth with a smile.

'_Eh, what was I so scared of?'_ Yumiko thought while her and her dog companion marched into the large building of the Kazekage. The girl found it odd not to see Gaara about, but figured he was off on a mission. He _was_ a shinobi after all. A black blur dashed down the hall as she entered the large glass doors. Then, Kankuro retraced in a hurry, flailing his arms to keep balance while running towards the other teen. Yumiko's eyes grew to dinner plates as she was tackled down by an enormous man, and Ishiko barked at Kankuro to release her owner.

"Whoa! Nice to see you too. What're you _doing_ here?" she questioned, finding it odd that he was cooped in a building rather than out in the world saving lives and living the life of a shinobi.

"I've been helping out around here, you know with the changes and all," Kankuro explained after helping the girl off the ground and brushing himself off.

"Well, I hope its going okay. I've been assigned to _'protection detail'_ with your Kage," Yumiko grinned, showing bogus excitement towards the idea.

"_Really?_ Well this'll be interesting," he mused almost silently with a sinister grin, confusing the other teen as he guided her to the elevator.

It was surprisingly clean inside, and Yumiko was shocked at the number of floors this building held. There was no way this building had this many floors from one glance at the outside. Well she had been to busy with her thoughts about a red head to really notice. Ishiko wagged her tail at the rising feeling in her stomach as they ascended, smacking the back of Yumiko's heels with the appendage.

"The Kazekage's in a meeting right now, they're expecting you actually-the council's there too."

"_Fabulous;_ a room of old coots nagging at me for tardiness. Didn't know I had a deadline," Yumiko huffed, to which Kankuro chuckled.

"They're bearable. New Kazekage's kind of a hard ass though," he grinned stupidly as they exited the small elevator, and guided her down the hall which was filled with paintings and flowers on tables.

'_Why doesn't the Hokage office look this pleasant?' _she asked herself, then remembered who the Hokage was and how she hated having to care for the plants and that paintings just took up space. He stopped her before a set of large doors, labeled 'conference room #4' on an etched name plate beside them. Pushing the brass plates was the only thing separating her and a room full of criticism. _'Better than an angry busty old hag,' _she presumed, placing her gloved hands on the objects and shoved both of them forward, confidently striding into the room full of what she thought to be old men with trees-not sticks-up their asses. She was half right. Kankuro bowed to an elderly man who was standing closest to the two, and retreated back into the hall behind solid oak doors. Yumiko watched his departure with a worried façade and scratched behind Ishiko's ear to calm her. Around the table she could see four sitting, two elderly women whom the teen already feared and matching men, not including the one standing before her. The chairs were tall and bulky, obstructing the girl's view of the head of the table across the room. The elder standing ushered her forward with a gentle wave of the hand, officially making Yumiko's friendly list, and began speaking to the rest of the room.

"I had sent word to Konoha of our fears, and asked for some… _reassurement._ Miss Kyoto will be a round the clock personal guard for the Kazekage until word has reached us that the Akatsuki have left Kaze no Kuni," Yumiko had just reached the end of the long table when her eyes were drawn to a plush of red hair and she silently gasped at the sight.

'_Tsunade, you __**BITCH**__!'_

After some more information on program assisting and mission statements, the meeting was declared over and the five elder council members left to return to their duties. Yumiko had been seated at the opposite end of the table from Gaara and Ishiko just tall enough to see over the wood next to her. Two pair of eyes stared across the room, auburn clashing against misty green. Minutes into their battle, the young woman smirked and broke her gaze to stand from the uncomfortable chair and make her way towards her new employer.

"So Kazekage, huh? Big jump," Ishiko followed, well actually she rushed forward first, desperate for a long awaited rub by the red head. He nodded to the statement and proceeded with his own.

"You've been busy I hear. How was Takigakure?" Gaara questioned with a small smile, patting Ishiko's neck.

"Keeping tabs on me? How sweet. Wish I would've done the same-I mean check it out!" Yumiko gestured towards the large windows across the carpeted room, overlooking the city with a toothy grin.

They shared a laugh before taking a path through the building to reach another elevator-this one larger than the first one Yumiko traveled in. The top floor was even more gorgeous than the last, and far quieter. After being told the purpose of this floor she understood why. These were the personal living quarters for the Kage, and any special guests to the village. Gaara held open his office door for the young woman and her companion, and followed suit into the dim room. Inside, it was no different than the Hokage's rooms. Papers were stacked on all areas of his desk, huge books lay beside it on the floor, stacking up a good two feet above the table top. There were a few soft chairs before Gaara as he took his seat, and a couch against the far wall next to a full bookcase; which was haphazardly organized. The white Kage robes made the man seem even paler as he gathered a file and began to scribble his signature after grazing its contents. Yumiko giggled at the sight-thinking she'd experience that when pigs fly. _'Tonton must be up in the air somewhere,'_ and she grinned stupidly again, drawing Gaara's attention to his guard.

"Something comical?" he quirked, grasping another packet of paper to sign.

"Oh, it's just I don't really see the need to _protect_ you. Sabaku no Gaara being babysat by a woman at least half a foot shorter!" it had _absolutely nothing_ to do with her original thought, but it did bring up a good point.

"Half a foot? _Really_?" there was something in his tone that was curious in a dubious way, and he left his chair-pen still scribbling away with the will of his sand.

"Yep," Yumiko added a _pop_ to the 'p' while they stood closer together, her having to crane her neck just to keep eye contact.

Gaara had definitely grown over the years; taller by half a foot, broader and tired-but he always looked as such. Tired that is. She didn't care to notice his stance much. _'Who the hell am I kidding?' _The heat rising to her face subconsciously told Yumiko she was blushing. To avoid anymore odd feelings she didn't understand the teen thrashed her head to the side as gracefully as possible and let out a snort.

"See, at least half a foot," and she playfully shoved him to the pile of documents and told him not to get a paper cut.

Yumiko returned to her couch where Ishiko sat upon to glance over the Kazekage's schedule for the day.

_09:00 – 10:00 Weekly conference_

_10:30 – 13:00 Documentation reviews_

_14:00 – 16:00 Academic material briefing_

_16:00 – 19:25 Mission delegation_

_19:45 – 21:00 Economic standings_

She slumped onto the sofa, enjoying the light blue fabric against her tired muscles. Ishiko rested her snout against Yumiko's shoulder and licked her ear to rile the young woman. But nothing shook her from the dead stare at the boring yet short listing of duties for the day-little did she know that was nothing compared to the following week; which almost brought tears of pain to her eyes. The Kazekage took in the sight from his desk, and he had so missed the twitching, angry, cute and small nose and seeing teeth drag across her bottom lip-that pink, plush, glistening lip-while contemplating her options. The girl had rolled her eyes while tilting her head back to land softly against the couch, giving him a nice view of the column of skin; it was pale and long, almost blemish-less except for a small pink indent of a scar located underneath the left jaw line. While he had been staring at the flesh, she had removed her gloves and brought a hand across her body to massage the junction of neck and shoulders, letting him take in the new scene before him. Gaara's sand was working away, flipping paper after paper and scribbling his name over and over again. He'd have time to read those later tonight, but right now he was enjoying himself.

"…_have…break… entertain…t rig..t?"_ Gaara heard the faint words, and chose to ignore them for the time being, but another voice appears, this time within his own mind; and they shook him to the core.

'_Tasty-I haven't been fed in quite some time… why not a little snack?'_ Shukaku's hissing tone echoes within the depths of Gaara's body, snatching him from the adoring stare in fear of the girl's safety.

"Are you even listening?" Yumiko questioned, finding it strange to not hear a response for her early statement. His head snapped down, and then up again; eyes wider and full of something the body guard couldn't hope to name.

"Hmm, N-no. I w-was…" the man drew on, uncharacteristically stuttering and using all his might to keep the color from his face.

"You have an hour and twenty minutes of break? Not much time to find entertainment. Am I right?" she chuckled at having to repeat her earlier question and the fact that Gaara was showing a childish nervous side.

The day was winding down to an end; Gaara and Yumiko were trekking back to the Kazekage offices from the Mission Assignment hall. Thankfully the economic conference had to be postponed because of an unexpected emergency with the lead financial advisor's family. The female body guard huffed in the night air, which was surprisingly chilly so early in the evening. Not many people were out and about now, the weather of the desert signaling that it was time to rest instead of staying open to the public and neighbors. As the three continued through the streets, Ishiko on one side of the Kage and Yumiko on the other, an eerie atmosphere surrounded them. The invisible, phantom like being was nagging at the back of the girl's head, at her side and deep within her. Yes, something was very off in the streets tonight. A chakra formation was being hidden in the upper corner of an alley they would pass in mere moments, and Yumiko held her hand in the red head's path for a signal to halt. She edged closer, trusty tanto in one grasp and a kunai blade in the other. Ishiko placed her body between the danger and target, snarling and ready to pounce.

A sharp movement came from the chakra signature and Yumiko followed, rushing down the dark alley and leaping over garbage bins. Fingers grasped the enemy's leg and threw them down; the girl was surprised at her own strength for the moment. The man, she presumed from body structure, scrambled on the grimy floor and managed to stand against the building wall. The teen was before him again, jabbing towards his shoulder with her blades. The enemy was faster and dodged most of the attack whilst commencing his own; a kunai whizzed by Yumiko's cheek and managed to scrape her face. She had been satisfied with the slashed shoulder landed on the man, but it was quickly taken away with the fluttering that happened behind the blade, a paper noise. _'Paper,' _her eyes grew wide with realization. Legs couldn't pump fast enough as the girl rushed out of the dingy alley, pushing past the exploding tag to protect her employer. As soon as Yumiko lunged, the fire ball expanded from the walls, sending bricks, glass, and metal through the air. Ishiko maneuvered to protect her owner, who protected the Kage. Her arms were up, blades forgotten on the ground to her left, blocking any oncoming debris. It was unnecessary; the ultimate defense the man's sand provided shielded the three.

Once the dust had cleared, Yumiko took in her surroundings-which was considerably difficult from her position. Opening her eyes was difficult and the only thing she had seen was red, and her nose was taking in this strong scent that she couldn't really place-it was pleasant, however. Something was wrapped around her waist loosely, probably just a piece of debris; but when she pushed her body up using all the strength her arms could muster it didn't fall away. Yumiko let out a confused noise and then remembered about the red head she had shielded. The teen gasped as the image of an injured Gaara came to mind, but she relaxed once he appeared underneath her, completely unharmed…. And unnaturally close?

"Are you alright?" he asked, straightening them both from their flattened position on the ground.

"Uhm, yeah. You?" Gaara nodded, using the grip on Yumiko's waist to help her stand.

Ishiko was shaking sand from her coat and huffing to remove the same material from her snout. The night air had gone silent, and surprisingly no one opened their doors or windows to see the commotion. The two teens brushed their clothing and recouped, seeing that the enemy had fled during the commotion. Yumiko quickly guided the group back to the office, more on edge than she'd ever been, and healed her sliced cheek on the way. Once inside, the door had locked, there was a sweep of the room, and then a reassuring sigh as the red head returned to his duties. Ishiko was stationed near the door, ears twitching at the slightest noise, and Yumiko scanned through the windows on a regular basis. It was funny, about a decade ago she'd be anxious to scale the very same rooftops to watch the stars come and go. Now she scanned them for black masses with red clouds. Gaara's pen was the only break in the silence, periodically scribbling dates and signatures. A bored heavy breathe released from the girl, a yawn followed, and the red head turned in time to watch her rub the sleep away from her eyes. The Kazekage pushed back from his desk and began to walk towards the door-she immediately followed opening the door and letting her employer and partner out before shutting the door behind her. Yumiko led the way to the elevator, but felt a tug on her hand as Gaara continued by, making a right and opening a door to a staircase.

"And where are we going?" the teen questioned while ascending through the thin hallway.

"Wait a minute," her companion urged, pushing open the large metal door and continuing through to the crisp air.

The best roof in the village, and the one they had always wished they could star gaze from as children. Yumiko scanned the area and her partner smelled for any inconsistencies, nothing out of the ordinary-no chakra signatures to threaten the moment. Gaara maneuvered to the edge of the building, looking up at the stars and shifting to keep Yumiko in his line of sight. The young woman was busy scouting the rest of the platform and not paying much attention to the one who was for sure protected in the background. With the sweep completed, she returned to his side with Ishiko patiently waiting by the doorway. Yumiko's eyes were drawn upward to the stars and she couldn't help the grin that spread across her lips.

"Just like I thought it'd be like," her voice broke the natural wisps of the desert wind.

"Really? If we were six again, could you imagine us here? _Right_ _here_?" Gaara emphasized, hoping she wouldn't turn her head to catch him watching.

"No, I think I'd probably imagine us in completely different worlds," she chuckled at first, but her voice let out sadness towards the end.

They would be in different worlds had it not been for Daiki rescuing her pathetic six year old self. He would be an offensive machine in the shinobi world, and she would probably be working in that Ramen shop below her filthy, horrible, adoptive parent's apartment. Which reminded her to search for that store, the dim evening lights of the desert provided enough glow to see some shop signs. Yumiko pointed downward and to the right, desperately keeping herself from jumping like an idiot as she screamed out,

"There it is!"

Her company ghosted a smile, and let out a chuckle upon seeing her reaction.

"I should really visit sometime," Yumiko mused, a little nervous with the idea-which he could sense.

"Then we'll go tomorrow night," Gaara promised, leaning against the rail-keeping his gaze on her the entire time.

"It's a date," she smiled, and cradled her face in one hand while yawning again.

"Let's go inside, you're too tired," the Kage mused, guiding her towards the door with an arm around her waist.

"I'm fine; you need to be protected anyway."

"I think I'll be fine at two in the morning," he nagged at her persistence, and escorted her and the dog inside, where the two automatically fell onto the couch to rest their eyes.

It was so warm and the sunlight was blaring through her closed lids. And since when did the sofa move so freely under her? Yumiko fought to open her eyes, but it was as if she didn't have the energy to do so. Maybe there was a part of her that worried this pleasant feeling would disappear if she did wake. There was a noise in the background, and it was depicted to be an ocean-which was strange in Suna. They were a few hundred miles away from anything like that. Eh, what did it matter, really? This was a dream after all. Suddenly, the warmth from her face was gone, as was the bright light shining down. A cloud? No, clouds don't move sand near her face. Yumiko shifted, eyes still unable to open but she was suddenly constricted. A weighted feeling settled on her chest, just barely there but enough to hold what seemed like an elephant down. The teen turned her head to the right, nose crunching from annoyance and mouth set in a thin line of frustration. There was suddenly a presence above her, large and assertive but not deadly. _'Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream,' _Yumiko chanted to herself, to afraid to force her eyes open to see the figure. A warming and tickling sensation met her neck and the sunlight beamed down on her face again. The wind wisped a strong scent towards her, and she placed it after contemplation. _'Mangos, that's what his hair smelled like!... Wait…' _the though hit right after a warm puff of air hit her jaw and worked it's way upward to an ear. Seconds later the sensation crossed her face, and a new feel started up her arms that were plastered to the sand. Breathing deeply and quickly, Yumiko dared not peek in fear she'd wake. The man, she presumed as Gaara, brushed lips against her skin and drew even closer to Yumiko's own lips. The hand slowly made its way to the junction of her neck and tangled its fingers in long brunette hair. Finally joining lips, Yumiko found herself unbound by the invisible force and shot up from her position, grasping the ends of the man's hair and tugging forcefully. Both teased, drawing back to plunge back in, smiling and chuckling all the while. It was he who moved towards her jaw line, nipping and tickling his way over until the lips neared her ear.

"…_up…iko…Wake… Yum… Yumiko? Wake up," _the small bark at the end of the statement made her eyes shoot open and the feeling of delightful pressure on her body disappear.

"W-Wha? Hmm?" Yumiko's eyes frantically scanned the ceiling of the small office, now lighter in the sunlight.

The Kazekage was before her, his hand gently tapping her cheek and a worried look on his face. Ishiko was standing at her eye level, sniffing and whimpering at her owner. She sat up slowly, nervous of how the dream seemed so _real_, how he_ sounded_ so real, _felt_ real. Yumiko could still feel the flush on her face and the sand under her legs, and that warm strange feeling in her core.

"Are you alright? You were breathing heavily and tossing in your sleep," the red head explained, helping her sit up from the light colored couch.

"I-I'm fine! Wow, morning already? Breakfast time then," the brunette urged while quickly making her way to the door and avoiding eye contact.

A man stood outside, fist poised to knock on the now removed wood. He was tall and dark skinned, with hair concealing his right eye and a goatee. If memory served, this man-Yūra-was left handed, so why was he knocking with his right? The only reason she found this odd-or even noticed this-was because he was the shinobi who checked her papers to grant her passage into the walls of Suna. Yūra's eyes widened at the sight of the disheveled teen, but proceeded with his duties. Yumiko moved from his path, eyeing him in an inconspicuous fashion. He bowed to the younger man and asked if he was prepared for the postponed economic briefing, to which the Kazekage nodded and began to exit his office. Yumiko was hot on their heels, Ishiko smelling the air as Yūra walked by her. The dog stiffened, yipped at the man and snapped at his heels. Yumiko hid her knowing smirk in an instant so that the two men would not see her realization.

"I'm so sorry, Yūra-san. Ishiko can be a little snippy this early in the day. But, really who isn't?" the young woman asked, slapping her hand down harshly on the man's left shoulder and grinning widely at his silent hiss.

"Y-Yes, it… it would seem everyone's a little _testy_ today," the older man jerked his arm away sharply and fought the urge to tend to his poorly wrapped shoulder.

Ishiko walked ahead with Gaara, while Yūra and Yumiko took up the back-all making their way to conference room #6. The young woman leaned closer to the dark haired man and sent a deadly whisper,

"_I know it was you."_

To which the man replied shakily,

"_W-what? I have… no idea what you're talking about."_

"_Cut the bullshit. How's that shoulder fairing? Wasn't too bad of a slice I landed," _Yumiko clarified, showing her disappointment for his reaction.

"_Miss Kyoto, you must still be tired from-"_

"_I thought I said to cut out the shit?" _her brow quirked and the conversation ended with all four piling into the large elevator.

Because of the delay, the economic meeting took up a majority of the day. Yūra made it a point to steer clear of the bodyguard by standing across the room and constantly viewing the skyline of the village. Neither of the teens noticed his speedy exit in the middle of the meeting. Unfortunately for them, the economic meeting didn't take up all of it and the teens were dragged into more academic, mission, and small business briefings. A sunset was just beginning as the two teens entered the small office, Ishiko dragging her body into the room and dropping without a care. Yumiko cracked a smile and laugh at her expense and began to scan the room for inconsistencies again. After nothing was found her attention drew to the window. Nothing had changed from the previous night… except what was that dot in the air? A hard stare confirmed her suspicion-atop of a floating blob was no doubt a dark cloak and red design. On a reflex, the girl grasped her blades and turned to her employer.

"Gaara, there's-"

"I know," he cut in tossing his Kage cover onto his desk and shrugging the robes off.

At first Yumiko turned sharply to give privacy-but a sneaky double take told her he was already dressed in full length dark trousers, a long-sleeved scarlet coat and a grey vest with a single strap over his shoulder-trusty gourd being lifted onto his back again. The teen roused her partner awake and they all ushered out the door, sauntering down the hall to the stairwell again-so peaceful last night and now a dreary walk up the flights.

"You clean up quick," the young woman tried to ease the tension.

The door swung open far before the enemy landed upon the building's roof. The tension was unbearable as they watched the paste-y bird descend, offering a full view of the Akatsuki member. The slanted blue eyes had an obstructive view from his long blond hair that wasn't pulled into a ponytail. Yumiko could see the beginning of a v-neck shirt before it disappeared underneath the dark cloak. His pants were standard black, as were the painted nails she noticed. _'Okay, something just moved in his palm,' _the young woman fought down her twinge expertly and focused on his approach.

"It seems I've been spotted, how?" the blonde asked aloud, maintaining his position on the large bird.

"Birds like that don't exist in the desert," Suna's protector answered, standing firm also.

The bodyguard of the protector flipped quickly through the Bingo Book inside her head, stopping on the page of Deidara-matching name to face. Yumiko scanned over his stats quickly, huffing silently when no easy weaknesses appeared. The wind shifted the girl's hair in front of her eyes, and she sighed while pushing it away,

"This'll be fun."

This brought the Akatsuki members attention to her. A quick observation showed she would be as much trouble as the Jinchūriki, if not a little less-_maybe_. A small 'hn' brushed through her ears and then the clay bird swung its wings forward, air almost knocking the girl and dog off their feet. As soon as they regained their footing, they noticed Gaara was already battling upon his own flying platform. Ishiko growled and raced to the edge, unable to reach the two fighters. Yumiko hesitated to interfere, knowing that this would be the first time the new Kazekage battled to protect his village-like he was expected to. The only image that entered her mind was when the Third Hokage fought a former member of the Akatsuki-and lost. Sand raced through the air, almost encasing the enemy several times but he always managed to slip through the smallest of crevices. After what felt like hours of waiting, Yumiko grew impatient and began tracking his movements. Unexpectedly, Deidara halted his flight and pulled a large mass of clay from his cloak and held it up. She had been too far from them to hear his words, but knew that anything dropped from his arms was unpleasant. Yumiko's eyes grew wide at the massive explosion, the heat engulfed her and she shielded her eyes and face from debris, Ishiko huddling down to do the same. Only nothing reached her, the teen peeked up and saw nothing was brown grains above most of the village. The Kazekage had saved the village, if only this time.

Yumiko itched to be in action and returned her attention to tracing Deidara's movements. His pattern reached its lowest point at the building to the east, every time, so Yumiko found that the best area to attack. Ishiko leapt over the ledge with her owner, ready to protect and attack if need be. Gaara had seen the move and chased the bird towards her, and the young woman lunged from the edge with her tanto blade embedding deeply into the stomach of the bird. Its faltering path in the air caused Deidara to curse and mend the gash quickly. The young woman found footing on a nearby window and glared at the man, but gave a triumphant smile as Gaara managed to grasp his arm and crush it off because of his distraction. Ishiko yipped at her owner, who had managed to return to the building roof while dodging attacks from clay monsters. By the time she had turned her attention back to the fight, a sand globe was in place of the red head, and then a ball of red and orange. This had gone too far; Yumiko whistled to the large white dog who squared up with the deteriorating sand globe and leaned down, nose scraping the roof. The teen charged, planting the heel of her boot on the snout and was propelled up and towards the red head. Forming her own sand platform-which was difficult after years of no practice with the element-Yumiko grasped the Kage's arm and brought it around her shoulders, concerned with the position.

"Gaara? Keep your eyes open, I'm going to get you to the hospital and-"

"No, let me go… It'll be fine," he interrupted, as he usually did.

"What? No, I'm going to get-"

"I can't let you do that. I'm sorry," the man's voice had been drained as was most of his energy.

What ever he had left was used in wrapping the girl in a loose but sturdy sand grip and dragging her away from him, kicking and screaming. Kankuro and Baki awaited her, Ishiko long since knocked unconscious by medics and hauled back into the Kazekage building. Even with those familiar men, Yumiko fought and screamed-an awful high pitched shriek-until a stabbing feeling met the back of her neck. Her vision blurred and darkened, but not until she witnessed the fall of Gaara, the fall to his death…

Yumiko was beginning to hate white rooms, and that sickening sterile smell of hospital cleaner. She shot up, scrambling in the awful green sheets of the stiff bed and managing to fumble out of them in one piece. The sun was up and it was registered at about six in the morning, giving the girl more panic. Ishiko rested at the foot of the tall bed, panting and excited to see her up and about. The door slammed open, and the girl jerked her head around to the side of the hall where a blood-curdling scream emanated from. A patch of orange and black caught her attention, as did a poof of silver and green.

"Naruto?" she couldn't keep in the question, and instead caused a stampede-consisting of one person.

"Yumiko! Are you alright? Temari was worried about-"

"Where's Gaara?" the teen interrupted, moving around him to the group of people in the next room.

"W-well, he's… he's been-"

"Captured," an elderly woman finished, watching the display of medical performance before her.

Sakura was huddled over a sweating and quivering man, who seemed familiar but at the same time not. Yumiko frantically asked what had happened after her vision gave, and Baki removed the Konoha-nin from the operating room to explain the previous night and morning.

"So when do we leave?" Naruto and Yumiko asked, synchronized.

"What? No one's leaving! You've seen what happened to Kankuro, and it was you're responsibility to protect the Kazekage and now you've failed," one old coot from the council yelled, Baki rolling his eyes in the background.

"Well, unless you have direct orders from the Hokage-we will leave. It is _still _my responsibility to protect the Kazekage, and I _will_ bring him back," Yumiko finished, motioning for Ishiko to follow her and the other Konoha-nin out the door.

Sakura had finished her duties with Kankuro and awaited her team. The group gathered in the lobby of the hospital, surprised upon seeing Chiyo agree to travel with them. Kakashi informed the brunette teen that it would be best if Ishiko were left behind, and when asked why he replied with a smooth and confident,

"Kankuro will want to escape as soon as he hears of the plan, Ishiko will be helpful in keeping him… _stationary_," to which Yumiko agreed, and begged her companion to stay behind.

The plan was to meet with Team Gai, who had found the Akatsuki hideout early that morning. Kakashi had relayed the approach with the team, who agreed instantly-until Yumiko was told it would take an entire day to travel to the base. Sakura and Naruto had to physically restrain her so that she wouldn't burst out of Suna's walls in a full sprint. But the sooner she could beat the shit out of the Akatsuki the sooner Gaara would be back in the village and she'd feel more secure. The teen pushed through the desert, slower than she wanted, but at a steady pace with the rest of the team. Upon hitting forest, it was about one or two hours to sundown and it would be useless to travel with no light and energy. Yumiko asked for first watch, giving the team a few hours of needed rest and herself-hours of reflection. She had never told her own feelings to the red head-but there could still be time. There was no for sure way to know if the Kazekage was dead; but what if he was? What if Yumiko _never_ got the chance to tell her feelings? About how she wished that instead of following Daiki all those years ago, she stayed with him to… help him in some way-although she knew that would have been a pointless feat. Salty tears fell from her auburn eyes, at the thought of never seeing his own misty orbs again. _'I'll have dreams right?'_ but even that thought made her squirm. Yumiko couldn't live off of dreams forever-they were so different from the actual being anyway.

"Did you ever tell him?" Kakashi's sudden question startled the girl and almost made her fall from her perch in a tall pine.

"E-Excuse me?"

"Did. You. Ever. Tell. Him?" The older man broke down the question, giving a very dead and bored stare.

"I-I-I have _no_ idea what you're talking about," she answered in a stuttering fashion.

"Oh, please. I've seen a lot of things-and you two liked each other even two years ago. Wonder what it's turned into _now_?" the older man hinted, winking with a chuckle.

"You perverted old man."

"You know, avoiding the question means I'm right," and Yumiko groaned at the knowledge, because it was true and so she began to confide in the one person who wouldn't hold anything against her.

_***~*~*~*~*Next Day*~*~*~*~***_

Team Kakashi was ready to rush in after the blockade was official destroyed, and waiting was eating at Yumiko's nerves. Gnawing and tearing until there were almost tears of annoyance. Sakura pounded the boulder, sending rubble to the ground and flying through the air and the brunette teen pushed through the dust with the others in tow. The noise silenced as the dirt cleared from the air and the group prepared for attack. Yumiko's entire being shook at the sight of a dark clothed man resting atop a motionless body-a red haired head was what she focused upon. Kakashi's hand stopped her from charging at the men, but her glare was stationary on the Akatsuki. The blonde Konoha-nin shot forwards and began screaming for his friend, who was no longer available to respond. The members shared a short conversation, with lots of head gestures-but Yumiko was too angered to listen in. Deidara had encased Gaara's body again, taking flight and heading west out of the cave-Kakashi, Naruto, and Yumiko taking him. This left Chiyo and Sakura to his partner.

Naruto's own control of the nine-tails was slipping, showing through his speed and chakra emanating and surrounding his body. Eventually, the man in flight halted and attempted to battle the three. Kakashi, figuring he'd take out the main reason for Naruto transforming, aimed his Mangekyō Sharingan for the Akatsuki's head, but failed and only caught his arm in the commotion. Yumiko braced the man, seeing that performing such a jutsu drained him greatly. She settled him on the ground, and prepared for her own attack. While Deidara was still reeling from Kakashi's jutsu, Yumiko squared herself, hands positioned before her and keeping clear vision of the enemy. A bright blue circled encased her palms and sent a few stray electrical beams to the ground next to her. The teen secured her footing and pushed forwards, sending a strong line of lightning at the Akatsuki. The beam collided with his uninjured shoulder and jolted him from his bird. This gave an ample opportunity to the enraged Naruto to attack in a feral manner and thankfully Kakashi had managed to maneuver to the teen to seal the nine-tails before it progressed any further. Team Gai appeared, providing assistance in any way-but the battle was cut short when Deidara had transformed into a bomb himself. Neji called for all to draw back, Tenten and Lee helping escort Kakashi out of the line of destruction. Naruto and Yumiko huddled together for protection and both raced forward to the remaining body of the Kazekage. The blonde quickly grabbed him, and the two teams took off to return to Suna. Yumiko choking back tears and leaning on Rock Lee to steady her path through the trees.

It was even worse when the group broke through the trees and decided to recoup in her village's ruins. None took notice of the giant stone remnants of buildings, Yumiko's cottage, or her family's grave markers-and at the time neither could she. Her first friend was pronounced dead just moments before, and the world had almost ceased to exist. Just hours before, the two were standing on the Kage office roof and planning the following evening-which she would now be spending alone. Naruto was frantic, lashing out at the elderly Chiyo after she attempted to calm him. Yumiko hadn't known the old woman personally, but she knew enough about her past. Grudges held against Tsunade, and Kakashi's father, the one declaring Gaara compatible for the one-tailed beast to be sealed inside of him; at least that was all she attained from reading in the libraries across the nation. Those were the only consistent pieces of information that she recalled at the moment. Yumiko's tears were uncontrollable now-her being doubled over her childhood friends' body, his head resting on her lap and her gloves cradling his face.

There was a soft glow of blue at the top of her vision and she couldn't explain the scene when she looked up. Gaara's chest was surrounded in the same glow, elder Chiyo's hands performing a medical jutsu that Yumiko had previously believed to a myth. Her body began to slump, tired from transferring her chakra into another being, and not having enough of it to continue her rescue. Naruto placed his hands atop of Chiyo's, as desperate as any friend to save his life. Yumiko unconsciously began to add her own energy to the mix, still cradling his face and reliving a memory from two years ago.

_Flashback_

_Yumiko had slumped down onto her bedding after a long day at the hospital, Ishiko already comfortably settled in Gaara's lap in the chair to the side. She let out a sigh when her head hit the pillow and turned to begin another conversation that would hopefully last all evening._

"What does it feel like?" _the red head questioned after he noticed she was settled._

"Hmm?"

"Sleeping," _he clarified, shifting slightly in the chair._

"Umm, well… it's… comfortable mostly. And you feel calm," _Yumiko tried to explain, though she felt as if she was doing a horrible job._

"Are there times that… _you _wish you could sleep?" _to which he nodded slowly, and leaned over to adjust the lamp shade._

"Well, it's impossible anyway," _his deep voice made her frown, knowing he'd never experience something that feels so refreshing and comforting._

"It will be, one day. _And_-just in case-I'll be right there when you wake up, okay?" _Yumiko reassured, then skipped onto the next topic of the evening, affection._

_End Flashback_

Tears continued, Chiyo's words carried Yumiko from her memory and caused her to choke,

"Yumiko, you and Gaara weren't reunited by accident… and I couldn't be happier that that damn stubborn Third Hokage pushed you to watch over him… I'm sorry for what I've done and I need you to promise something," Chiyo's voice was draining and the thought frightened Yumiko, but she nodded all the while.

"Don't leave him… I think he just barely survived it the first time. I'd hate for him to watch his happiness walk away… again after all this time."

Yumiko's smile was forced, because she knew that from her plead that Chiyo was dying and Gaara would return.

Sakura caught the elderly medic as she fell back, and they shared a moment that Yumiko was far less interested in. Her eyes were plastered to the dark lids of the red head, but they did not open and her tears released again, sliding down her face and falling onto Gaara's skin. There was a jerking motion in her lap, making her gasp and focus more energy to her palms. Naruto and Yumiko noticed the slow motion of the red head opening his misty eyes and it took all of her efforts not to tackle him with a hug. Gaara pushed himself forwards, but the newly arrived Temari scolded him for doing so-and Yumiko followed.

"You need to rest. After all that you have hardly any energy left," she soothed, placing her hand on the shoulder not occupied by Naruto. He let out a soft smile and was about to respond - _**THWACK!**_

"_**N**_ _**EVER**_ do something like that _**again**_, alright?" and then she continued yelling about how ridiculous it was to send her into the care of his brother and sensei when she was trying to save him.

The Kazekage pushed upward, colliding his lips with the teen's. If it was to keep her quiet, it worked-and it also hushed the entire Suna shinobi force as they huddled around their leader. Yumiko pulled back after a moment, smiling like a fool and not bothering to hide her flush this time.

Gaara and his siblings stood at the Suna wall, pleading the Konoha-nin to stay longer so their wounds could heal fully. The group declined and was about to depart before Yumiko was seen running as fast as she could down the alley.

"Wait! Wait! Thought you'd just leave without a good-bye?" she asked, tackling Naruto in a hug, who returned it brotherly.

"Oh, another thing-watch out for this one," Kakashi announced while motioning to Yumiko, leaning on Gai for support.

The teen blushed and went to hug the older man, and then the rest of the Konoha-nin.

"So, when should Konoha be expecting you back?" Sakura asked pulling back from their hug.

"Um… probably not any time soon. If that's alright…" Yumiko turned to the three sand-nin behind her, waiting for an answer.

The Kazekage nodded and extended his hand for her to join them. The brunette smiled as she raced over, retreating into the walls of Suna with her new family.

The night sky was clear and calm in Suna, and the Kazekage rooftop was quiet-the perfect spot for Yumiko to clear her mind. She found herself whispering to the stars, remembering that as a young girl she would sneak out of the tent and find Daiki near the fire, doing the same thing. Only, he was probably drunk at the time. The teen let out a chuckle and leaned against the rail on her forearms, not hearing Ishiko's panting as she rushed to the man approaching from behind. Gaara had wondered where the brunette was when he woke up in his room and she was no longer by his bedside.

"Almost there, Daiki," Yumiko's hushed voice didn't reach the red head even as he approached.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked while trapping the girl to the railing.

"Geez! Warn me next time, will you!?" Yumiko squealed, and then settled back onto his shoulder-gently as she felt he was still unstable.

He still smelled exactly the same as she remembered, and it took all of her self control not to press herself onto him to feel the rest of his body structure and not just the strong shoulder. Yumiko's eyes began to lull as her head rested in the crook of his neck, and he chuckled.

"I have a confession to make," he voiced while bringing his arms in to fully encase her.

"_Yes?_"

"Do you remember the other morning? When I woke you up because I thought you were having a bad dream?" to which she nodded with a smile-because she knew what kind of dream that really was.

"What if I told you that… I _knew_ what you were dreaming about?" this caused Yumiko to stiffen and attempt to scurry away out of embarrassment.

"No, no… and what if I told you… I was the one that made you have that dream?"…

"You pervert!" Yumiko blushed and playfully slapped the man before kissing him again.


End file.
